Kantai Collection: Red Fleet Resurrected
by Da Ma-Niac
Summary: Kirov, the Russian Primal has returned to the world, beckoned by Hibiki's prayer for a miracle. The cruiser is sent to Vladivostok, tasked with building up a fleet. Although far more powerful than the Chinese Primal Yat Sen, Kirov has design issues of his own that he would have to deal with. Follow the cruiser as he sets out to do his duty.
1. The Trip Home

**The Trip Home**

Kirov cruised the waters of the Sea of Japan. Unlike the returned ships of other countries, Kirov came back as a male. It was assumed to be because Russians called their ship 'he' instead of 'she'. With his tall form, blonde hair, dark brown eyes and well defined face, he would pass off as a dream man for many. Toss in the navy coloured blazer and pants, a regular Soviet Navy officer.

What made him different is that he carried metal rigging. It is similar to Kirishima and Hiei's, only he has tripe 180mm turrets instead of twin 41cm turrets. But instead of having a fourth turret on his lower left slot, he has a triple 533mm torpedo tube. That and the fact by saying cruise, it meant he glided on the surface of water like an ice skater. Earlier, he had refused to travel by jet with the Russian civilians back to Russia.

"It has been so long since I cruised the ocean," he said, "so let me return to Russia under my own power."

So he did, followed by the four Russian Navy Zubr hovercraft. Earlier, the hovercraft were responsible for transporting the residents of Shikotan Island to Japan. They have been ordered to escort Kirov to Vladivostok, which used to be the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet. All along the way, Kirov saw many settlements which have been destroyed by the Abyssals.

It infuriated him to no end. What also made him angry is that the Soviet Union collapsed. The great superpower he served until his scrapping in 1974 is now fragmented, though the biggest fragment is still pretty big.

Russia and its ally China fared decently so far in the Abyssal War, their large land areas meaning they are less dependent on the sea. That is why Chinese and Russian ships didn't come back early like the British and Japanese. They weren't desperately prayed for. Not until Pilot Officer Sima Xiangdong's transport went down over the Pacific did Yat Sen appear. Not until Hibiki prayed for a miracle did Kirov himself appear. Neither Yat Sen nor Kirov were to be blamed. The willpower needed to bring them back simply didn't exist.

In the distance, a small group of Abyssals could be seen. They are all destroyers, a mix of I-class, Ha-class and Ro-class destroyers. There appeared to be ten of them. Since they were heading in the opposite direction, they did not know that the Russians are behind them.

"Enemies spotted," Kirov said, "preparing to engage."

"Acknowledged," replied the commander of one Zubr, "all ships, cover fire, full barrage."

The 140mm Ogon rocket launchers on the Zubrs turn to face the Abyssal fleet in the distance. Each rocket launcher packed twenty two 140mm rockets which can be fired in quick succession.

"Fire!" ordered the commander.

Flames erupt from the launchers as the rockets are fired. The rockets are not guided missiles and therefore suffer from low accuracy. Not that guided missiles would do any better as no man-made tracking device can home in on Abyssals. Fortunately, the destroyers are actually larger ships in the Abyssal fleet, about the size of a small whale. Regardless, a volley of a hundred of seventy six rockets would still cause considerable damage.

Before the Abyssals could respond, a hail of rockets descend upon them. About seventy percent of the rockets hit, dealing considerable damage to the destroyers and even destroying three, their weak armour failing to protect them. Kirov moved closer to the fleet, weapons ready. The destroyers which survived the initial volley growled and fired at Kirov.

The Russian cruiser performed evasive manoeuvres, but still took hits. He winced as the shells penetrated his armor. Kirov-class is about combining firepower with speed, so the ships had only 50mm of armour in most places. He stopped and fired his nine 180mm guns. Despite targets being large, two rounds still missed.

Kirov frowned. The guns are mounted in narrow turrets in close proximity to each other. This resulted in very high dispersion which equals low accuracy. To make matters worse, the cramped conditions in the turret meant that the guns can only fire at two rounds per minute, one third of their designed rate of fire. It would be dangerous for him if he is caught on his own.

"This is getting troublesome," he said, "let's get this wrapped up."

He moves towards the nearest destroyer, which is quite close by now. The Ha-class attempted to fire at him.

"Not today," Kirov said has he launched a spread of three 533mm torpedoes, "you little сука."

The torpedoes ram into the Abyssal, blowing it wide open.

"Nice job, Kirov," one of the Zubr commanders said, "fitting for a Soviet Navy ship."

Kirov nodded, "I am just performing my duty."

Another shadow emerges from the water. It is a humanoid Abyssal, taking the form of a young woman with white hair, glowing blue eyes and pale skin. She wore armored thigh highs, a once-piece swimsuit which is ripped in some places and had a massive collar made of teeth-like projections which covered part of her face. The Abyssal is smaller than the whale-like destroyers. A triple turret is set on the top of each her thigh highs and two more are mounted on fish-like projections which sprouted out of her back.

"Careful, Kirov," the commander of a Zubr said, "these humanoid ones are dangerous. It will take considerable time for us to reload our rocket launchers. We only have our guns and man-portable rockets."

"Understood," Kirov replied, "preparing to engage enemy."

The Ne-class continued glaring at Kirov as it turned its triple turrets at the Soviet cruiser. But Kirov already reloaded and is closing the distance. By the time the Ne-class brought its guns to Kirov, Kirov was already at near point blank range.

 _Can't miss at this range,_ Kirov thought.

Kirov's nine 180mm guns thundered as they fired at the Ne-class. At such a short range, all nine shells hit. He got lucky, because he scored critical hits on the Abyssal. Enraged by the damage, the Ne-class fired its guns. But Kirov had already moved out of the way.

 _Thirty second reload,_ the cruiser thought as the fairies in his turrets went about reloading, _is very bad._

Fortunately, Kirov has decent mobility, which allowed him to avoid the gunfire. An idea suddenly popped into his head. Kirov circled behind the Ne-class and jumped on the Abyssal's back, between the two turrets. The Ne-class stumbled and attempted to throw Kirov off its back.

"Now shoot!" Kirov shouted.

The Zubrs open fire with their AK-630 CIWS. The GSh-6-30 spewed out 30mm shells at 5000 rounds per minute. Most of the shells bounce off the Ne-class's armor, but some penetrated weaker spots. The Abyssal roared and turned its attention to the hovercraft. Russian soldiers fired with the Strela 3 missile launchers. The missiles are meant to be used against aircraft and thus had small warheads. Their infra-red guidance is also ineffective against Abyssals. As a result, most of the missiles missed the Abyssal and the few that hit barely did anything.

Kirov jumped off the Abyssals back and reversed.

"Game over," he said, aiming his torpedoes and guns, which have now been loaded, "stupid Abyssal."

The guns fire again, the shells scoring more critical hits. As the distance between Kirov and increased, he releases another spread of torpedoes. The Ne-class couldn't move out of the way and takes all three. The Abyssal suddenly descends back into the water, quickly slipping under the surface.

Kirov smirked. All Abyssals are capable of submerging, not just the submarines, allowing them to ambush surface ships. However, a non-submarine Abyssal cannot operate its rigging while underwater and they can only move at speeds no faster than a swimming person. While the Ne-class was above the water, it was a formidable foe. Now it is just a sitting duck. Kirov casually reached into his pocket and took out a few metallic, marshmallow sized objects.

"Merry Christmas," Kirov said as he dropped the objects into the water, "and a Happy New Year."

* * *

The Ne-class continued diving, attempting to flee the new ship. It took the form of a male, which is very odd. All shipgirls have been girls, as suggested by the name. A few low ranked Abyssals took masculine forms, but no male boss has ever been observed.

The Abyssal heavy cruiser suddenly noticed metallic cylinders drift down to her depth. It wondered what they were.

* * *

Kirov stood facing the Zubrs when pillars of water exploded from the surface of the water and a shockwave propagated through it.

"Let's go," Kirov said, "we have a port to go to."

The Russians completed the trip to Vladivostok without encountering more Abyssals. As Kirov sailed into the port, he was disheartened by what he saw. Vladivostok was once the home port of the mighty Russian Pacific Fleet and the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. Six hundred thousand people once lived here.

The city is now a ghost town. Buildings near the sea have been obliterated, reduced by rubble by the Abyssals. Buildings more inland have been abandoned, some of them already crumbling. Vladivostok is just a ghost of what it once was. When Kirov approached land, he saw that many people seemed to waiting for his approach. Many of them appear to be journalists as they operated large cameras. Political leaders in suits also stood waiting, accompanied by military officers and infantry in combat armor. Tiltjet gunships circled the air above them.

Kirov dissipates his rigging as he steps onto land. The Zubrs deflate their skirts and rest on the water. Kirov walks towards the people, ignoring the flashes of cameras and chatter from the civilians. The cruiser stopped in front of the suited men. The two entered a staring contest before the man spoke. Kirov took in the man's appearance. He is very young for a political leader, appearing to be in his late thirties or early forties. He is half a head taller than Kirov, and still had all of his hair and all of his eyesight.

"Welcome to Vladivostok," he said, "or the remains of it. I am Joseph Mikoyan, President of the Russian Federation."

"Name ship of the Kirov class," Kirov said, "cruiser Kirov."

The two men shook hands as the cameras flashed to capture a historical moment in Russian history.

"Sorry I couldn't come earlier," Kirov apologized, "nobody awakened me until Hibiki did."

"Better late than never," the President said, "we are glad to have you back. Now that you are here, we can begin to build up the ship force. But enough talk. We will be returning to Ussuriysk for now."


	2. Red Fleet Resurrected

**Red Fleet Resurrected**

The President's limousine and many other cars cruised along the road towards Ussuriysk. Kirov remained silent as he looked out the window. T-14-5 main battle tanks led and trailed the convoy, easily maintaining the 110km/h speed needed to keep up with it. Mil-40 tiltjet gunships maintained a defensive web overhead.

"Nice technology," Kirov remarked, "a lot has changed since my time."

"When was that?" asked President Mikoyan.

"I hung around until 1974," Kirov replied, "when I was sold for scrap."

"Huh," Mikoyan nodded, "that is quite a long time. So, tell me. What is it like to be in a human body? Is it different to being a ship?"

"For starters, I can control my own body," Kirov said, "which is a nice change. And I have feelings. Slaughtering those Abyssal ships felt awesome."

"You have fighting spirit," the President's secretary said, "you are going to need it."

"I thought I was going to Shanghai for a while," Kirov continued, "to fight alongside the Chinese."

"We were going to before, to learn the essentials of operating returned ships," Mikoyan said, "but we were informed that it was not necessary. The fairies born alongside a Primal can teach us that. At least that is what the Japanese told us."

Kirov looked up, "Do you trust them?"

"I believe them," Mikoyan said, "but I don't trust them. Regardless, I have a feeling that modern naval knowledge is going to be useless and that historians are going to make better shipgirl commander than modern navy commanders."

"So, what do we do after reaching Ussuriysk?" asked Kirov.

"We discuss the future," Mikoyan replied, "because it rests on you and any other ship that decides to return."

The President paused for a second, "Tell me what you think about the Chinese shipgirl."

Kirov snorted, "Yat Sen? She is small, weak and slow. Hardly capable of putting up a fight. I don't think she will have much use beyond propaganda. Designed and built in China? Given her embarrassingly weak state, it is hardly surprising. The Chinese has relied on the USSR for technology for a long time and barely shows any promise in designing their own."

"Well guess what?" said the secretary, "That has changed."

"How?" asked Kirov.

"You may not know," Mikoyan said, "but the Abyssals have wiped out the navies of the world and removed all human presence from the coastlines."

"I saw those wrecked cities," Kirov asked, "but of what relevance does this hold?"

"The Chinese still have two large cities by the coast," the secretary explained, "defended by a line of fortified gun emplacements and supported by the military. Having surviving coastal cities is something that even nations with shipgirls have struggled to achieve. Just a few days ago, the fortifications absolutely stomped large scale Abyssal attacks."

"In fact," Mikoyan said, "Japan sent two teams of shipgirls in return for the technology used in the fortifications. China isn't that poor and powerless nation that you knew. It is now a superpower, just like Russia and the US. Whereas other nations have pulled back from the seas, the Chinese still put up stiff resistance. They will only get stronger as more Chinese shipgirls join them."

"You can expect we Soviet ships to be much better," Kirov said, "so don't worry. We'll drive those Abyssals out of Russian waters."

The convoy continue drive towards the Ussuriysk.

* * *

After a long drive, including a detour around a destroyed bridge, the convoy arrive. The gunships and tanks continue on their journey to a nearby military base. As Kirov, the President and his secretary exited the limousine, more cameras flashed as the media tried to get the best footage of the returned Russian ship. Presidential Guards attempt to hold the civilians back, but even with their advanced power armour, they struggle.

Whereas Yat Sen received a somewhat cold reception and even some opposition when she returned to China, Kirov is given a hero's reception. It appeared that Kirov is a symbol of the glorious past when the USSR was a mighty opponent of the US. Yat Sen is a reminder of Chinese technological inferiority in the Sino-Japanese War, made even worse while she operates alongside the superior Japanese shipgirls.

The group are escorted into a government building, passing more journalists and soldiers. A short walk later, they arrive inside a meeting room. Navy officers and several civilians are already inside, waiting.

"Greetings, gentlemen," the President said, "today, Russia's first shipgirl has returned."

"Guy," Kirov said, "I prefer shipguy."

Laughter broke out through the room, before everyone calmed down.

"Well, sir," said a Navy captain, "I think you are the only ship that came back as a male."

"Regardless," Mikoyan said, "now that Kirov back, I think we can have a brief meeting regarding the future."

He looks to Kirov, "First of all, shipguys. I imagine that all the Soviet ships would be males because we called them he. Regardless, we need to establish a base. Should we build a base at Vladivostok? That place was once the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet."

"Isn't it too risky?" asked a civilian, "That place is right next to the sea."

"What would you do?" asked Kirov, "Build a naval base inland?"

"Besides," a navy officer interrupted, "we have two airfields. We have Vladivostok International airport and a military airfield. Calling in air support would be easy."

"Are we going to build fortifications like the Chinese?" asked another navy officer.

"We do have railguns of our own," an army officer replied, "just not as powerful as the Chinese ones. We also have lasers. But in my opinion, making fixed fortifications are not a smart move. The Citadel and Bastion are virtually Abyssal magnets."

"The Chinese have no choice but to hold onto the river mouths," Mikoyan said, "because once the Abyssals get into the rivers, they can basically wipe out China with hit and run attacks. The Chinese have the longest rivers in the world and they have the biggest canal linking them together. The Yangtze alone drains one fifth of China's land area and the river basin is home to a third of its population."

The Russians in the room paused to try and remember whether such a system of river existed in Russia. The northeast of Russia has an extensive system of rivers, but Abyssals never showed signs of invading them. They devastated coastal towns but didn't return if the humans didn't.

"But let us continue," Mikoyan said, "so far, we have the idea of building a naval base at Vladivostok and rebuilding the two nearby airfields."

"It would be effective," the first nodded, "because army and air force units can provide support. It won't take long to bring aircraft and artillery to the bases."

"Another issue," Mikoyan said, "what of diplomatic relations with the Japanese and Chinese? We have fought the Japanese in the early 1900s. Is it possible that there will be tension between us two. Or what about the Chinese? In the tie of the USSR, tension was also high between us."

"That shouldn't be a concern of me or any shipguy that follows," Kirov explained, "all I care about is making the Abyssals pay for their crimes against Russia and humanity in general. Leave the politics to the politicians, though I don't know much about diplomacy with Japan. I operated in the Baltic Sea, not the Pacific Ocean."

"Another issue is with ships," the second navy officer said, "more specifically Reshitelnyy, Retivyy and Rezkiy. After World War II ended, we sold them to the People's Liberation Army Navy as the Anshan-class. The question is, if they return like Kirov, do we keep them? Or do we send them to the Chinese?"

"Why would we do that?" asked Kirov, apparently offended by the idea, "They should stay and fight alongside their comrades."

"Because the Chinese paid for them and they were Chinese ships last," Mikoyan said, "likewise, we have been demanding the Japanese to send Hibiki to us as Verniy should she ever attain that form."

"Besides," the second naval officer continued, "I recall that they were given missiles in a modernization. Perhaps their Kai or Kai Ni forms will retain them. They may well catalyse the first step in equipping ships with modern weapons. But their Kai Ni forms are Chinese, because the Chinese were the ones who modified them."

"Maybe have them secretly send the data about the missiles back to us?" Kirov suggested.

"That could work," Mikoyan nodded, "I mean, we could just ask how they put modern weapons on ships if they succeed. Surely the Chinese wouldn't mind sharing such knowledge. We are fighting a common enemy after all. As for the construction of the base…I hear you have construction fairies?"

Kirov opens his hand. A light glows softly before transforming into a construction fairy.

"Fascinating," a civilian said, "but how long will it take to build a base?"

"That depends," the fairy spoke in Russian, "on how big a base you want."

"We want the smallest operational base possible," Kirov said, "but make it so that it can be expanded."

"The smallest can be done in a month," the fairy said, "because we only have so many fairies."

"Well until then," Mikoyan said, "we can't expect Kirov to fight without support."

"Actually," a navy officer asked, "I have an idea. Do you remember the Ekranoplan Carriers?"

"You can't be thinking…" Mikoyan trailed.

"A what?" asked Kirov.

"The Ekranoplan Carriers were a project revived in the early 2020's to counter US and Chinese aircraft carriers," the navy officer explained, "they are seaplanes which fly close to the surface using the ground effect. We can modify the prototype to act as mobile bases. Instead of building a whole base, the fairies can just make the components that we can't, like the docks. We install them onto the Carrier."

"A temporary mobile base we use while the fairies build a land based one," Mikoyan nodded, "very clever. Is there anything else?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Very well," Mikoyan said, "so our agenda is to finish the construction of the Ekranplan Carrier. We will use it until the land base is complete. Maybe even after that as a rapid insertion transport. Since there is nothing else, I'll be leaving for Moscow. Kirov, you can stay at Ussuriysk until the Carrier is complete. You will then be tasked with bringing back the vessels of the Red Fleet."

"It is my honour to serve again," Kirov said, "and it would be for any Soviet ship that returns."

* * *

 **That's right. An Ekranoplan carrier as a mobile base. Who could have imagined.**


	3. Brothers in Arms

**Brothers in Arms**

The next morning, Kirov wandered through the city. The cruiser was given a linen shirt and trousers to blend in with the citizens better. Despite this, he generated considerable fuss among the populace of the city. Particularly the younger high school and college aged ones. None of them went up to him, however. He continued walking through the city. Until he reached a building with a sign saying Уссурийская библиотека. Ussuriysk Library.

Smiling slightly, Kirov walks towards the door. Surprise briefly crossed his face when the two glass doors slid open before him. Kirov smirked before walking in. Library is quite large, with rows of shelves, multiple computers and tables. The cruiser walked past the people, who paid him scant attention. Passing them, he arrives at the section where books about technology are stored. Searching through the shelves, he frowned when there was a lack of books about Soviet-era weapons. He wanted to know who he could potentially be fighting alongside. Resigning to picking up a book titled "Modern Fighting Ships", Kirov walks to a table and sits down.

Reading through the pages, he is impressed. He knows about advanced technology like guided missiles and nuclear propulsion existed during his time. Kirov did survive until 1974, after all. But the modern technology…is on a whole new level. Lasers, railguns, stealth and increased computerization. Even rudimentary A.I.s are under development. It was like stepping into a new world. Sixty years is a huge difference.

As Kirov stood up to return the book, he noticed something. Next to him is a pile of books on physics and mathematics, an open notebook and a laptop. But the thing that really caught his attention was the notebook. Because the page is open to a drawing of himself.

He picks up the notebook to take a closer look. The pencil sketch is a little rough and Kirov doesn't know how to critique art, but he can definitely see that it is a good drawing.

"Um, excuse me," a female voice said.

Turning to face the speaker, Kirov sees a young woman in her early twenties with shoulder length brown hair and eyes dressed in mid cut jeans and loose shirt. She also has a pair of glasses.

"Oh sorry," Kirov said, "I just saw this drawing of me and…"

Recognition flashed across both their faces.

"You're Kirov," the girl said, "here? So far away from the sea?"

"Zria Sotnikov," Kirov said, "we met on Shikotan Island, yes?"

"Yeah," Zria said, pushing her glasses up, "you saved my life."

She noticed the book in Kirov's other hand, "What is that you are reading?"

Kirov showed her the book, "Modern Fighting Ships. I wanted to know about those I passed the duty of defending the Motherland to. And I must say I am impressed. I thought radar and missiles were really fancy, but…this? It just blows my mind."

Zria chuckled, "Yeah, it's amazing isn't it?"

Kirov looks down at the other books, "Mathematics and science. What are you hoping to be?"

Zria looks at him, "To join the defense force. The Russian Navy, to be precise."

The cruiser frowned, "A woman? In the Navy?"

"What?" Zria growled and crossed her arms, "Women have fought in wars before. You know the fighter ace the Nazi's called the White Rose of Stalingrad? She is a woman."

"Fair enough," Kirov nodded, "the technology should bridge the gap in whatever difference in capabilities of men and women."

Zria growled internally. While it was understandable that Kirov held some sexist views, being from the old days and all, it didn't make it any less offensive. Besides, weren't the Soviets the first people to make significant attempts to expand social, economic and political opportunities for women? Then and again, Kirov isn't human. He is a ship who just happened to look like one, so some degree of ignorance regarding non-military matters is understandable.

"Why join the Navy?" asked Kirov.

"Because I want to destroy Abyssals," Zria said, "after they killed my father. And I want to fight them in their own territory."

"For vengeance," Kirov smirked, "I like that."

"And I need your assistance," Zria said, "you who are born with the power to fight Abyssals."

"You want to command me like Yoshimura does to his shipgirls," Kirov said, "and Sima to Yat Sen? You are ambitious, but do you have what it takes?"

"My grades speak for me," Zria smirked, "and when I ace my entrance exams to the Naval Academy and pass with flying colours, you will know I have what it takes."

She takes off her glasses, wipes them and puts them back on. Kirov smiled. This girl definitely has the confidence to be a commander. Whether she had the skills is another question. Just because she knows every textbook inside out doesn't necessarily mean she will make a good commander. After all, textbooks are easy to read. One also needs to be flexible and unpredictable. That is what made that Chinese Pilot Officer Xiangdong Sima effective. If he chose to be a commander rather than an engineer, then he would be one commander Kirov would hate to oppose.

"Very well," Kirov nodded, "you have impressed me. But do you think you can convince by comrades?"

"And who would they be?" asked Zria, crossing her arms.

"I…" Kirov said, "I am not sure. That is kinda why I am here. I want to know about Soviet ships of the Pacific. I served in the Baltic Sea and played only a small part in the war."

Zria smiled, "Then let's find out."

She sits down at her seat and opens a new page. Kirov sits down next to her, curious about what she is doing. Zria navigates to a search engine before asking, "Alright, which ships do you know?"

"There are five more ships of the Kirov class," Kirov said, "though I only consider Voroshilov to be truly of my class because later pairs added improvements."

"Whatever," Zria said as she searched Kirov-class, "ah, here we are."

The top option is "Kirov-class Cruiser", followed by "Kirov-class Battlecruiser" and many others below.

"I assume you are this one," Zria moved her mouse towards the top option, "you are a cruiser."

"Wait," Kirov said quickly as he moved his hand, "I wa-"

His hand covered Zria's for a second before they both pulled back.

"Sorry," Kirov said, "-"

"Ah, no," Zria said, "it's okay."

"Hey, if you couple are going to talk, take it outside," a librarian said, "we have people studying in here."

"Sorry," Zria said, "I'll be off now."

Zria puts her notebook and pencil in her bag but held onto her laptop, "Come on, let's go outside."

Kirov complied as he followed the young woman. Stepping out, the duo walk to a bench. After sitting down, Zria opens the laptop, "So, what did you want to see?"

"That," Kirov pointed at the second option, "Kirov-class battlecruiser."

After clicking the site, Zria read out loud.

 _The Kirov-class battlecruiser is a class of nuclear-powered warship of the Russian Navy, the largest and heaviest surface combatant warships (i.e. not an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship) in operation in the world. Smaller only than aircraft carriers and of similar size to dreadnought battleships of the 1910s and 1920s. The official designation of the ship-type is "heavy nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser", while the West called them battlecruisers due to their size and appearance._

Scrolling down, Kirov noticed that battlecruiser Kirov was laid down on 27 March 1974, less than a month after he was sold for scrap.

"How does it feel to meet a more modern ship carrying your name?" asked Zria.

"I feel pride," Kirov smiled, "although the ship is not named after me, the fact that we share names means that I won't be forgotten."

Zria tilted her head and looked into his eyes. Then she broke eye contact and smiled as she worked her fingers over her laptop. A few seconds later, she looked back up and showed Kirov her laptop. Leaning in, Kirov gasped. Because there are several photos of two triple 180mm turrets in front of a building. Another photo showed a memorial plaque.

"Do you know why the people were so excited to have you back?" asked Zria softly, "Because there are many who remember you."

Kirov continued looking at the screen. Even though he played a very small part of the war and isn't big and flashy like the Western battleships, there are people who remember him to this day, almost a century after he was laid down and sixty years after he was scrapped. The government has changed, but the people have not. This is the nation and the people he fought for once.

And this shall be the nation and the people he will fight for until he sinks or the enemy is gone. He and his brothers in arms will do what is necessary to protect Russia.

"I wonder what your brothers would look like," Zria said, snapping Kirov out of his thoughts, "one of them is Voroshilov, right? He could look like you or look nothing like you. Yamato and Musashi look nothing like each other."

"Hmm," Kirov rubbed his chin, "what _would_ he look like?"

Zria worked her laptop again to search for fan art about Russian ships.

"By god," Zria said, "you already have fans."

The webpage showed lots of fan art, made by people who speculated what other ships might look like. Some of them depicted the ships as stunningly beautiful women, while others as hot guys. The male depictions had millions of views, shares and had comments in at least ten different languages, mostly of girls declaring their love in barely understandable drawls and huge stacks of emoticons.

"Kirov," said a voice to them.

Turning to face the speaker, the duo see a Navy officer and several escorting soldiers. They stood in front of a wheeled armored vehicle.

"It is time," the officer said, "come, this way."

"I have to go," Kirov said, "I am to oversee the fairies build the components of my base."

Kirov turns and walks to the officer, "Farewell, Zria."

"This isn't farewell," the woman said, "because you can bet your ass that you will see me again. And you will salute me as your commander."

"I will be looking forward to that," Kirov said as he continued walking, "Miss Sotnikov."


	4. The Stalingrad

**The Stalingrad**

Lying east of the Caucasus Mountains and West of the steppes of Central Asia is the Caspian Sea. With a surface area of 371 000 square kilometres, it is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth. Back in the 20th century, American spy satellites discovered a strange aircraft with letters KM. It was designated the Kaspian Monster by the CIA. For fifteen years, the aircraft was used to test the ground effect. The research was used to build the Lun-class ekranoplan MD-160, which then served the navy till the late 1990's.

The MD-160 now rests within the naval station of Kaspiysk. The city itself is quite new, founded in 1932. With a population of two hundred thousand and four factories, it is largely an industrial city. Two of the factories produced high quality machinery for the Russian military while the other two, construction materials.

The MD-160 now rested on a massive metal platform, having been there for decades. Kirov walks past the mighty beast, running his hand along the bottom of the hull. A half an hour earlier, he arrived on a Russian air force jet with the navy officer. After the long flight, Kirov and the navy officer wasted no time in checking out the old aircraft.

"Impressive, isn't it?" asked a marine.

"Indeed," Kirov nodded, "so this is what we will be using as a temporary base?"

"No," said the navy officer, "this is the old Lun. If you want to see your mobile base, then follow me."

Kirov followed the navy officer and the marine. After a short walk, they arrive in front of a large hangar. The soldiers guarding the hangar saluted. The navy officer salutes back. The soldier turns around and presses a few buttons on a control panel. The hangar's sliding door rumbled and shook before slowly sliding open. A small orb of light drifts out before bursting and transforming into a fairy. The fairy is dressed as a World War II-era soviet naval officer, his outfit similar to Kirov's.

"Greetings, comrade," Kirov said, "how is the construction going?"

"Going well," the fairy replied, "no thanks to you."

They both laughed for a bit.

"So," asked Kirov, "how long until it is completed?"

"The air frame itself is complete and the aircraft is flight worthy," the fairy replied, "according to the engineers. The humans have done their part. We are making finishing touches to facilities that support ships like you."

The fairy wiped its brow before saying, "This is the kind of technology we have in the 21st century."

He then looked at Kirov, "It hasn't been that long since our time, right? It was 197…1973? 1974?"

"February 1974," Kirov replied, "that was when I was scrapped."

"You remember it?" asked the fairy.

"Every ship remembers," Kirov said, "every one of us."

"Crap," the navy officer cursed, "I hope you don't hold a grudge against us for scrapping you. Because we've scrapped a lot of ships in our history."

"No," Kirov shook his head, "we understand that there will be a day we outlive out usefulness. We do not desire life, thus we do not fear death."

"Then what do you desire?" asked the marine.

"Battle," Kirov replied, "I can't speak for all ships, but I for one long for the glory of the battle. It makes me feel alive."

By now, the hangar door has completely opened, revealing the ekranoplan. The massive aircraft resembled the MD-160, but even larger. It the wing platform is like that of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat carrier based fighter, except scaled up massively. Behind the eight canard mounted engines, the body of the aircraft's body widened greatly. Even from below, Kirov could tell that the aircraft is supposed to be the flight deck of the carrier. The whole thing was easily longer than the Antonov An-225 Myria.

"I thought that Lun was impressive," Kirov nodded, "but this is on a whole new level. This thing can fly? The wings are rather small."

"Although this ekranoplan can fly at low altitudes," the fairy said, "it is at its most efficient when flying low over the ground. As for lift, it also employs lifting-body techniques, so it can fly easier than you would expect."

The fairy flies away, "Come this way, Kirov, I have much to show you."

Kirov is led up a flight of stairs which takes him to a level above the ekranoplan. A short walk later, he finds himself looking down at the ekranoplan. Indeed, the large, flat rectangular back of the jet acted as the flight deck. It can easily hold several of the new Russian fighters. Vertical missile launchers lined the sides of the flight deck and two CIWS stood above the wings. The twin vertical stabilizers carried a pod each, of different size and shape.

"So," Kirov looked to the fairy, "introduce me to this thing."

The fairy smiled, "You are looking at the name ekranoplan of the Stalingrad-class aircraft carrying ekranoplans, the Stalingrad _._ The class was conceived in 2019s as a way to rapidly deploy air power into foreign air spaces. Using their high speed, they are to quickly deliver combat aircraft. Their incredible mobility meant they can quickly move within the target range, deliver aircraft and leave while avoiding detection and engagement by anti-ship weapons. The Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles are particularly nasty, especially to conventional aircraft carriers."

"Impressive," Kirov looked at the ekranoplan, "but it sounded like the project was halted for a while."

The fairy nodded, "A lack of funding was the greatest reason, but the ekranoplan carrier also did not have the same aircraft support facilities as conventional aircraft carriers and had very limited endurance, thus did not have the same capabilities as conventional carriers. The navy suggested reviving it as a means of quickly delivering combat aircraft near Abyssal bases. The idea never went through. This beauty was going to get scrapped. Until we arrived, that is."

"It would be a real pity," Kirov scrutinised the ekranoplan, "to send this marvel of engineering to the scrapping yard."

"Anyway," the fairy said, "this is a state of the art fighting machine. Aside from being able to carry four fighter sized aircraft, it is also armed with vertical missile launch systems which can be armed with various surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles. But they will be useless until humans can find a way to reliably track the location of Abyssals and send that information to their weapons. Same goes for their CIWS."

The fairy points at the pods on the tails, "The pod on the right vertical stabiliser is a radar and the pod on the left is an electronic warfare suite. That stuff is beyond the understanding of us World War Two era people, but I have ordered construction fairies to study modern weapons and electronics so that in the future, we may be able to build our own and put them onto you and any of your followers."

"Not that I don't appreciate better weapons," Kirov mused, "but sometimes I mourn the loss of skill. All you need to do these days is to push a button and the computer solves your problem for you."

"We'll worry about that later," the fairy crossed his arms, "after all, winning the war against the Abyssal fuckers take highest priority. Ah, come on. I have got to show you the interior."

The duo walk down another set of stairs which led them onto the right wing. A few engineers on lab coats waved and said hello to Kirov, who waved back. The fairy flies through an open door at the side of the flight deck and down a spiral staircase which led to the interior of the aircraft. The staircase bottomed out in a hallway. The fairy turned right towards the front of the aircraft before turning left again into another corridor. Two doors are visible.

"First of all," the fairy said, "the docks. This is where you get repaired."

Kirov slides the door open to see a small room, about the same size as a regular bedroom. The walls and floor are both tiled. Several coffin like structures are also present, their lids open. Fairies flew in and out of them, various tools in their hands.

"These are the docks," the fairy said, "usually, they'd be bathtubs like the ones you'd see in Japanese and Western bases. Since we are in an aircraft which may or may not manoeuvre violently, we made minor adjustments. We have put water tight lids on them. You step in, close the lid and close it. Then we pump in the repair liquid and you will regenerate."

"Fascinating," Kirov nodded, "anything else?"

"Not in here," the fairy shook his head, "but we have more to show you."

Kirov follows the fairy out of the docks and enters the room next door. This room is much larger.

"This is the admiral's office and command room," the fairy said, "it won't be important to you as a ship, but I'll show you around anyway."

The fairy points to a table which has a massive screen in the centre, "That tells the admiral what is going on in the battlefield. Where you are and where the enemies are. Of course, it can't do the latter unless one of you shipguys have a radar which transmits the data to the computer in real time."

"What about all these?" asked Kirov gesturing at the workspaces with an array of computer screens.

"No idea," the fairy shrugged, "we didn't make those. The human engineers did."

"This there anything else I should see?" asked Kirov.

"Yes," the fairy replied, "your room."

Kirov's room is the size of a single bedroom, but he was going to share it, judging by the fact there are two bunk beds in the room. Nothing else on the ekranoplan is of interest to Kirov or any other shipguy that follows.

"If you stick around," the fairy said as he led Kirov out of the ekranoplan, "you'll see it fly."

"When?" asked Kirov.

"One of these days," the fairy said, "the ekranoplan will be completed. We will be undergoing flight trials and various tests. Then we will be flying to Vladivostok, passing over Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. We will have mid-air refuelling stops as well."

"This ekranoplan can fly over land?" asked Kirov.

The fairy frowned, "Didn't I tell you that it can fly at low altitudes? Well, according to these guys, 3000ft is low."

"Can't wait to ride this," Kirov said, "I bet it would cause quite a stir, something this big flying barely a kilometre above the ground."


	5. First Flight

**First Flight**

The sun peeked over the horizon, slowly burning out the darkness with its light. Even this early in the morning, the hangar that housed the _Stalingrad_ bustled with activity. Kirov watched as Russian engineers swarmed the metal beast, performing final checks.

Two days have passed since Kirov first arrived at Kaspiysk, and now the Stalingrad is about to execute its first trials. The engines, air frame, electronics, weapons and other components will be thoroughly tested. The _Stalingrad_ will make flights of increasing duration and altitude, beginning with mere meters above the surface like its predecessors and ending at its operation overland ceiling of 3000ft. Of course, the engineers will try to take it as high as possible and as fast as possible. Fighters will be launched and landed via the flight deck.

The ekranoplan is towed out of the hangar and towards a massive ramp which led to the waters of the Kaspian Sea. Kirov stood in the bridge/cockpit of the _Stalingrad._ The half a dozen pilots, co-pilots and other officers tinkered with their controls. Screens and 3D holographic displays glowed softly in the dark space, throwing splashes of colour over the faces of the crew.

A little while later, soldiers connected the _Stalingrad_ to a tug boat.

"We good to go?" asked Kirov.

Almost as if in reply, the ekranoplan lurched forward as the tug boat pulled the massive aircraft into the water.

"I suggest you take a seat," the captain of the aircraft said.

Shaking his head, Kirov replied, "No, I'll be fine."

A few minutes later, the _Stalingrad_ was towed into open water, half a kilometre from the shoreline. The tug boat turned and moved a safe distance away from the ekranoplan. The pilot presses several buttons and flicks several switches. A soft whine sounded in the cabin as the engines run idle.

"All crew, enter battle stations," the captain ordered, "we are initiating engine trials."

In the other parts of the aircraft, various officers move to their positions. Meanwhile, the pilot slowly pushes the eight levers which controlled the engine power output up. The soft whine became louder and was joined by a roaring sound. The eight turbofans power up, slowly approaching their maximum output of 642kN each.

"Engines and fuel lines operating without a hitch," the pilot said, "preparing for taxing trials."

He then pushes the throttle higher. The _Stalingrad_ slowly accelerates forward through the Kaspian Sea, building up speed. The ekranoplan executes a few turns before pointing the nose directly away from the coast. Further manoeuvres are unnecessary as the _Stalingrad_ would rely on tug boats to move around on the surface.

"Gentlemen," the captain said, "we are preparing to make high speed runs. And make history while we are at it. If you may."

The pilot nodded and eased the throttle to maximum. The eight engines of the _Stalingrad_ roared and the ekranoplan accelerated quickly. Kirov gripped a nearby seat, trying to hold on. Twenty seconds later, the aircraft reached take off speed.

"Sir," the pilot said, "we have achieved lift off speed."

The captain nodded. The _Stalingrad_ and some of its predecessors are unique in being ground effect vehicles capable of operating out of the ground effect like normal aircraft. Engineers therefore created a slightly different velocity doctrine. Lift off speed for the ekranoplan to lift off the water and fly using the ground effect and take off speed for the speed by which the ekranoplan can fly in the sky like regular aircraft.

"Pull up and maintain optimum altitude," he ordered.

The pilot nodded and slowly pulls back on the control column. The _Stalingrad_ tilts up ever so slightly before lifting out of the water.

"Holy shit," Kirov swore, "this thing actually took off."

"We've been flying the KM-1 since 1966," the captain laughed, "but it ain't this big."

The ekranoplan levels out at an altitude of twelve metres. By now, the aircraft is moving at speed in excess of 400km/h.

"All systems normal," reported an officer, "proceed to take off velocity."

The speed continued to climb, passing 500km/h.

"Shimakaze would love this ship," Kirov chuckled, "that kid loves being fast."

"Captain," the pilot said when speed hit 600km/h, "we have reached take off speed. Shall we try to gain altitude?"

The captain contemplated for a moment before nodding.

"Gentlemen, we are going airborne."

The pilot pulled back on the control column, causing the _Stalingrad_ to slowly gain altitude.

"The Americans are going to shit themselves when they see this," the captain said, "maintain the angle of attack. We are going to try and reach 3000ft."

The ekranoplan continues to climb. A few minutes later, it reaches 3000ft.

"Good god," Kirov said, "we're really at 3000ft."

 _Stalingrad_ thunders over the Kaspian Sea, maintaining a speed of 800km/h.

"All systems normal," an officer said, "proceed to light manoeuvre tests."

The pilot nods and works the control column. _Stalingrad_ rolled twenty degrees to either side, pitched up to ten degree and down to thirty. Given that the aircraft is bigger than the An-225 Myria, it is hardly surprising it isn't that responsive to control inputs. It may have a higher power to weight ratio, but it also suffers from high wing loading. Alas, _Stalingrad_ is an ekranoplan, not a true aeroplane.

Afterwards, the aircraft performed touch and go landings and launched various aircraft from its deck. By the end of the day, the tests have been completed, though the trials will continue with some tests being redone and new ones added.

* * *

On the other side of Russia, Zria is in the office of a naval academy. Opposite her, two old men in naval uniform look over her sceptically.

"So," said the left one, Admiral Vladimir Marx, "you seek to join the Russian Navy. More specifically, the new force of returned ships, known overseas as the shipgirls."

"That is what I said," Zria replied, "sir."

"Why?" asked the right one, Captain Peter Yakubov.

"To assist in the extermination of Abyssals from Russian waters first," Zria smiled, "then to wipe them off the planet."

"You sure can talk the talk," Yakubov smirked, "but can you walk the walk? You have been out of school since the Abyssals appeared, trapped on Shikotan Island. How did you keep up with your studies."

"There is something called the internet," Zria smiled back, "which allowed me to communicate with the mainland. Friends and teachers sent me thing I am supposed to study. I am currently at the level of a high school graduate."

She looks at Yakubov and Marx, "Isn't that the level which you accept your cadets? Where you make them to entrance exams?"

"You are correct," Yakubov nodded, "you will have to take the entrance exam. But that only proves your academic worth. That you are book smart. Being a mere academic is not sufficient. We have many brilliant students from all over Russia applying to be a ship commander, not to mention all the highly qualified people who are current members of the Russian Navy. Some of them are even veterans of early battles with Abyssals. Captain Alexis Ochakov even defeated Abyssals in the Battle of Okhost Sea and lived to tell the tale. He is the number one candidate."

Yakubov leaned forward, "What makes you different? And don't just say you are driven by the desire to avenge your father. Many applicants also lost loved ones to Abyssals."

"There is one aspect," Zria said, "that is critical."

"What would that be?" asked Marx, intrigued.

"These 'ships'," Zria said, "are alive. Sentient. Intelligent. Emotional. Not the cold, hard hunks of steel that your navy commanders are accustomed to."

"We are aware of that," Marx frowned, "the Japanese battleship Kongou has proven that many times. For a soul over a hundred years old, she is sure energetic."

"Batshit crazy would be more appropriate," Yakubov replied, "quite a few ships fall into that category. But of what relevance does this hold?"

"I have become familiar with Kirov," Zria smiled, "and he is accustomed to my presence. We did spend a short period of time on Shikotan Island. You see, the power of the ships is quite dependant on their emotional status. That's why the Japanese implemented the Provisional Marriage System."

"That was not just to satisfy the urges of the sick fucks called lolicons?" asked Yakubov before chuckling, "Heh, 'Lolicon'. It sure sounds better than pedophile."

"That system is a rumor," Marx said, "the Japanese official stated that the marriage system is just made up by those with weird fantasies."

"If it is stupid but it works," Zria interrupted, "then it ain't stupid. Why are the Japanese shipgirls so powerful, more so than the Western ones? Even if the marriage system itself was actually just a rumor, it underlying theory is still valid. They function better with those they are emotionally attached to. Kirov isn't attached to me, but I am familiar enough to him."

The woman paused for a bit before continuing, "I haven't even taken the entrance exam, yet it sounds like you are already taking attempts to dismiss me as a failure. I sure hope you are not doing this based on gender."

"Not at all," Marx shook his head, "its more that you haven't received any formal education for almost a decade and have no experience in dealing with Abyssals. Yet you are so confident that you'll do well. Your belief in yourself borders on arrogance."

"Indeed," Yakubov agreed, "we are just seeing whether you are capable of commanding naval units. We are still not convinced of your worth as the commander of Kirov or any other Soviet ship that returns."

"To be honest," Marx continued, "all of you applicants are on the same starting line. Previous experience in the navy or even combat with the Abyssals are of limited use. It doesn't take a genius to see that commanding returned ships and conventional ships are going to be very different. Not even Captain Ochakov can be assumed to be competent immediately."

"The navy entrance exam is just the first of many trials you will face, Zria," Yakubov added, "always remember that. That is all we have to say."


	6. Return of the Old Soldier

**Return of the Old Soldier**

After a week of preliminary trials at the Kaspian Sea, the _Stalingrad_ was deemed ready for sea trials. Thus, it was authorized to move to Vladivostok, pending trials in the Pacific Oceans. The ekranoplan performed excellently so far, but the Kaspian Sea is a massive inland body of water. Operating from that and from the heavy seas of the northern reach of the Pacific are very different. The waters near Russia are well known for their tough conditions, and climate change has only made it worse. The Russians want to know if the _Stalingrad_ can operate from rough, storm-tossed waters.

It was midday when _Stalingrad_ appeared over the horizon near Vladivostok, escorted by a squadron of Sukhoi Su-60s. The delta winged fighters are dwarfed by the massive ekranoplan. People on the ground cheered as the aircraft circles around the Zolotoy Rog Bay, above the coastal city. The escorting fighters peel off and head to nearby air fields. Eventually, the _Stalingrad_ descends and glides over the water, before slowing to a stop. Motorboats moved in to pick up the crew, transporting them to the city.

"Quite crowded, hmm?" Kirov asked.

"Yeah," the motorboat driver said, "here for you and that ekranoplan."

Kirov nodded. The ekranoplans are a source of national pride for the Russians. Compared to other Ground Effect Vehicles, they were in a class of their own. In the Cold War days, the West had nothing like them. Even today, no aircraft can even remotely compare to the mighty _Stalingrad_ -class. To the Russians, they were the pinnacle of engineering achievement, more impressive than the US supercarriers, and a reminder to the West that Russia is still a major power on this planet.

"What's the occasion today?" asked Kirov.

"We are initiating the construction of the Vladivostok Naval District," the ekranoplan pilot said, "basically, rebuilding this entire region."

"Vladivostok will be the headquarters of the Red Fleet," an officer said, "you know, ships who come back as humans, like you. Much like how Yokosuka Naval Base is the headquarters of the Japanese shipgirls and Dishui Naval Base is of the Chinese."

"The Chinese already have an operational Naval Base?" asked Kirov, intrigued.

"Yeah," the pilot said, "those buggers are pretty fast, eh? Take your eye off them and they'll pull off some serious shit. They don't operate by the same labour laws as us though. Maybe that's got something to do with it?"

"How do you know that the Dishui Base is the HQ?" asked Kirov again.

"Comrade," the pilot said, "now that you have come back as a human, you have a brain. Please use it. The entire region is protected by fortified railgun mounts that'll bust Abyssal battleships if they hit. Then there are two military airfields and a modified civilian one. Oh, that and the fact there are battalions of army units. You know, tanks, artillery, laser carriers and all sorts of things. The military is guarding Shanghai and Hangzhou is like the Great Wall of China on steroids. Obviously, that base, given its location, would be the safest."

"Our satellites showed a Chinese military build-up in the Bohai Gulf as well," the officer added, "turns out they are building a second base somewhere in that gulf."

"You hear the rumors?" asked the officer.

"What rumours?" the pilot asked.

"You don't know?" the officer asked, "There is chatter in our intelligence agency, about how land based Abyssals were found in China. Not the artillery imps, but Abyssals fully adapted to movement and combat on land. Our intel boys only heard of this from rumours circling within the Admiral Board of the Japanese shipgirl force. But Chinese media didn't report the existence of such Abyssals."

When they reached the shore, they were cheered on by lots of people. There was easily thousands of them. Most of them would have made the journey from the nearby cities, but enthusiasts came from all corners of Russia. Held back by soldiers, they waved a variety of flags. Most of the flags are the current Russian flag, though some USSR ones can also be seen.

"A hero's welcome," Kirov remarked, "not that I am complaining, but the Baltic Fleet did little in the war."

"Ah," the officer said, "you will be doing much in our war against Abyssals. Those fuckers wiped out our navy, leaving only a few vessels."

"I'll avenge them," Kirov said, "just give me a few brothers in arms. We'll stomp our way around the waters of Russia and crush any Abyssal stupid enough to come fight us."

* * *

On land, Kirov was greeted by Admiral Marx and Captain Yakubov. Civilians were held back by marines.

"Welcome back to Vladivostok Naval District," the Admiral said, "the place which will be your home when it is completed."

Kirov looked around. Vladivostok is in ruins. Not one building is in good condition.

"It will take a while, right?" he asked.

Yakubov laughed dryly, "Indeed. We have to knock down these buildings before building new ones. We also have to pave roads and bring in machinery from all over Russia. It'll take months, if not years, to complete this."

"That's why the President was negotiating with the Chinese," Marx explained, "because they can get things up and running very quickly. But he is facing stern opposition who said it should be a Russian group who builds something as important as Russia's first Red Fleet Base. He is caught between getting an effective anti-Abyssal force ready ASAP and raising the morale of the Russian Defence force. The opposition says that since we already have the _Stalingrad_ ready, there isn't as great a need to get Vladivostok rebuilt."

"What are those fools talking about?" snapped Kirov, "We need to get a large operational base ready. The facilities on the ekranoplan are very limited. Furthermore, the ekranoplan does not have a factory. We cannot build new ships from it. The military can't seriously be thinking of making me fight Abyssals on my own. I would prefer the Russians be responsible for building the Naval District, but if bringing in the Chinese is what it takes, then so be it."

"But rebuilding a Naval District still takes time," Marx said, "and-"

He stopped when he saw Kirov was no longer paying attention to him. Instead he is looking into the crowd. Following his gaze, the two navy commanders see the girl they interviewed few days ago.

"It's her," Yakubov said, "what is her name again?"

"Zria Sotnikov," Kirov replied.

"Ah," Marx said, "she was the one trapped on the island but managed to keep up with her education. The girl is waiting for an opportunity to do the entrance exams for the Defence Force."

"Does she think she stands a chance?" Yakubov asked rhetorically, "Technically, commanding the returned ships is a new discipline, but existing navy commanders make the best candidates. Alexis Ochakov is the best of the best."

"Who is that?" asked Kirov, turning his attention back to the two.

"Captain Alexis Ochakov," Marx explained, "is a captain who commanded a small flotilla of Project 220 Kashins in the early days of the Abyssal War. In the Battle of Okhost Sea, he used their speed and agility to out manoeuvre Abyssal ships while hitting them at close range with autocannon and unguided rockets. But when the humanoid cruisers came in, things changed. The hydrofoils simply didn't pack the necessary firepower to take them on. The Captain has retired, but is making a comeback after hearing your return."

"Hmm," Kirov rubbed his chin, "I would like to see how well he is at commanding a cruiser."

"Ah well, time to get close to the people," Marx said.

The trio walk over to the crowd.

"By the way, does Zria really know you enough to counter real combat experience under Ochakov's belt?" asked Yakubov.

"What?" Kirov blurted before quickly adding, "Uh, no. I mean, we knew each other for a few days on Shikotan Island and met again in Ussuriysk. That's all."

The people snapped photos from phones and cameras as the officers and the cruiser walk closer. Women of various ages reach out to them.

A loud bang echoes across the area, causing the people to scream. Soldiers ready their guns and look around, shouting. Two more gunshots rang out and the people parted from the source like the Red Sea. In the middle of the now vacant ground is a man in his late fifties or early sixties, evident in his grey, crew cut hair. A large scar runs down his right cheek. The soldiers aim their assault rifles at the man while shouting. But the man didn't even change his posture which, while relaxed and casual, radiated power and control. The man is clad in a black suit with a large collection of medals which glinted in the sunlight. In his left hand, he held a cigar and in his right, a pistol. Smoke curled out from both of them.

"Who the fuck are you?" demanded a soldier, taking a step forward.

The man puts the cigar back into his mouth before saying, "Put that down, son."

"Well, speak of the devil," Marx said.

"You shouldn't do that, Captain Ochakov," Yakubov remarked, "and where did you get that gun? It is mandatory that people return their service weapons when they retire."

"Ah," the man, Alexis Ochakov laughed, "this is my own gun. The rounds are blanks too."

He looks around at the people who backed away from him, "Quite a rowdy group, eh? It must be quite exciting."

"The marines could have shot you," Marx said before ordering the soldiers, "guns down, comrades. He is one of us."

"What brings you back to us?" asked Yakubov, "I heard you retired because it was demoralising to see your ships get destroyed."

"Aye," Ochakov said, breathing out a cloud of smoke, "it took the soul right out of me. Abyssal aircraft bombed them while they were in port. To me, those ships were second to God. I gave up on fighting, especially after the navies of the world just…"

He gestures a few times as he tried to find his words, "…collapsed under Abyssal attack. When the shipgirls appeared, I felt hope. More so when they began fighting Abyssals and win. I mean, my victories were against those large weak whale-like fuckers and that was when we outnumbered them three to one. But those girls? They were taking on Abyssal battleships and carriers. I hoped for a Russian shipgirl to return, but none ever did."

"Until now," Kirov said as he walked forward, "name ship of the Project 26 cruisers, Kirov."

"Captain Alexis Ochakov," Ochakov said, "good to have you back."

The two men shake hands.

"Kirov?" a female voice sounded next to them.

Turning to face the speaker, the men see Zria standing near them.

"Hello again, Zria," Kirov said, "good to see you."

"Excited about the announcement of the Vladivostok Naval District?" she asked.

"Of course," Kirov said, "I was told during my flight that the District would be rebuilt, but there is much debate over how it can be done."

"The debate between those who want a domestic firm to do the construction," Zria said, "and those who want to outsource the work to the overworked and probably underpaid Chinese. The former appeals to patriotism while the latter to pragmatism."

"What is your solution?" asked Kirov.

The woman smiled, "It is so simple, actually. And here it is…"

* * *

Yakubov and Marx look at each other before looking back to the chatting trio. The former had disapproval in his eyes while the latter had worry.

"Say," Yakubov asked, "is it really a good idea to allow Kirov to get close with Zria?"

The Admiral shook his head, "I don't know. I am worried that he may develop emotional attachments, which may impair his judgement. On or off the battlefield. Or, if Zria ends up being his commander, her judgement on or off the battlefield."

"I thought it was encouraged," Yakubov said, "sure, the Japanese deny the existence of the provisional marriage system, but if it is real, then it might explain why a few Japanese shipgirls can simply fight on another level to their foreign counterparts. But Kirov is a soldier."

"Not even that," Marx said, "a weapon. And a weapon has no need for emotional baggage. Heck, even a soldier has no need for it, especially in a war of almost pure attrition."

* * *

 **Okay guys, I am fighting some serious writers block. Can you give me some tips on how to transition all this boring stuff into a combat chapter in the reviews? Writing from the perspective of the Russians is alot harder than from the perspective of the Chinese because I am the latter.**


	7. To battle, Kirov

**Kirov, to Battle!**

Kirov cruises north while remaining about two kilometers off shore, leaving Vladivostok behind him. Not long after arriving back in the city, the cruiser offered to go on a patrol in the area. It is the first sortie to be done by a returned Russian vessel. The course is a decently long one, following the coast line around the body of water west of Vladivostok. He will head back to the city when it is due east of him, almost certainly arriving after dark. By then, the peanut gallery of civilians and journalists would be gone. The cruiser sighed in frustration at the thought that maybe they won't be. He didn't like the drama and fuss they kicked up over him.

Especially the girls. Good god, they had no sense of shyness, ogling him…like…a cut of ham? No, a bottle of vodka. Yes, every Russian loves vodka. Regardless, did this shameless behavior enter the motherland from the West, along with capitalism? Kirov shook his head disapprovingly. Capitalism actually served a useful purpose, but what good does modern female behavior do?

" _Stalingrad_ to Kirov," a voice from his rigging said, bringing him back from his thoughts, "status report, over."

"You have asked this many times," Kirov replied, "and you will get the same answer. Nothing yet. Can't you see if enemies come up? You have that big hologram table, yes?"

"That only displays the position of enemies if you are equipped with radar," the voice replied, "but since you are not, it only shows your position."

"Why doesn't my rigging have radar?" Kirov asked, "I was equipped with them back when I was a ship."

"Good question," the voice said, "nobody here knows the answer. _Stalingrad_ , out."

The radio falls silent.

"Tch," Kirov snorted, "that's no good."

The cruiser continues on his path. Indeed, Russia is plagued by tough seas. On this trip, the swells are quite high, pushed up to a height of two metres by the wind. Now human sized, Kirov discovered he can't see very far over the waves. This is quite problematic. And this isn't even a full-blown storm yet.

Kirov thinks back to what Zria said. Regarding how to quickly rebuild the Naval District in a short period of time, without getting the Chinese involved.

* * *

 _"It's really quite simple," she had said, "to my knowledge, shipgirl bases have high degrees of independence. Sure, Dishui Naval Base has the assistance of the Citadel and other Chinese defences, but the base generates its own resources from fairy magic, builds and maintains its own ships and undergoes its own combat sorties. It can function normally without all the other stuff."_

 _Zria gestured at all the buildings, "Thus, rebuilding the entire Vladivostok Naval District is a venture that is expensive, time consuming and utterly unnecessary. In fact, having so much activity would doubtlessly draw the Abyssals to Vladivostok. That is probably why Shanghai and the Bohai Gulf region is constantly under attack. Shanghai is a megacity that can be seen from orbit. All those flashy lights at night are Abyssal bait."_

 _She then points to Russky Island, across the water, "Russky Island housed the Far Eastern Federal University. The campus can be converted to a small Naval District. The location is secure, hidden from view from the ocean by the Island's hills. It can easily be converted to a shipgirl…I mean shipguy base. And Vladivostok should only be completely rebuilt when conventional navy forces have an effective means of tracking Abyssals."_

 _"I did not know that," Marx admitted, "but then and again, Russians never really paid attention to the logistics behind the shipgirls. Only the shipgirls themselves."_

 _"How did you know this?" asked Yakubov._

 _Zria smirked, "Why, I did my homework of course. Some research on Western internet. I pulled a few strings too."_

 _The Navy officer looked at her skeptically, "And what strings do you have at your disposal?"_

 _She leaned forward and winked, "Oh, just a good friend of mine in the Chinese defence force."_

 _Ochakov raised an eyebrow, "A Chinaman? Who could that be?"_

* * *

The figure of Pilot Officer Sima Xiangdong and shipgirl Yat Sen flashed across Kirov's mind. Only those two fit the criterion. Being a warship – a newborn Primal at that – Yat Sen can't possibly know all the details. It must be the air force officer.

The cruiser smiled. He could tell that the Russian Navy officers were impressed by Zria's knowledge. Zria is not a current navy officer and probably hasn't taken the navy entrance exams. She has no experience in dealing with Abyssals either, except that time of Shikotan Island where they were attacked. But it is clear that she already has an understanding of the logistics and operations of a shipgirl base.

Ochakov may be an expert in combat, but the military needs more than combatants. The explanation Zria gave was simple, but it is possible that was the tip of the iceberg. Should she prove herself to be knowledgeable in the functions of a shipgirl base, she will have a great advantage over Ochakov. After all, an admiral doesn't need to know how to command at a battlefield level. That is for the captains and the lieutenants. Even if Zria does not become an admiral, her knowledge will ensure that she has a position on the _Stalingrad_. Furthermore, her connection to the Chinese will definitely be useful. If she earns their trust, the Russians will be able to gain Chinese technical assistance. It is certainly preferable to having Westerners or Japanese come to Russia, not with World War II and the Cold War in his memory. The problem is, the Chinese probably won't be willing to help Russia for free. What could they want in return?

Just as Kirov passed over the crest of a wave, he caught a glimpse of a figure over the water, a kilometre or so from his position. The visual contact was brief, but the figure was dark and was fairly large. The group appeared to be heading south. This is odd. Abyssals typically avoid going to sea if the waves are more than a metre high.

"Kirov to _Stalingrad_ ," he said, "I briefly spotted a dark figure over the waves. I suspect it is an Abyssal destroyer."

"Gunships in the vicinity are on standby," the crew of _Stalingrad_ replied, "ready to deploy on demand."

"If they were any good," Kirov replied, "Russia wouldn't have been pushed back from the sea."

A dead silence was the reply.

"But don't worry. I am back now. We will punish the Abyssals with the power of the Red Fleet," Kirov said, "and the world shall know the glory of the Russia. Kirov, to battle!"

* * *

The Abyssal Tsu-class light cruiser sailed over the sea. It is followed by a single Ni-class destroyer and three PT imps. The fleet was undergoing its regular patrol in the region. Although shipping, civilian and military alike, have been removed from the area, there are still occasional flights by civilian aircraft. The Tsu-class, with their tremendous AA capabilities, can easily make short work of aircraft. Under most circumstances, Abyssals avoid going out to sea in such weather conditions, but the Tsu-class got news that a new shipgirl was last spotted dozens of kilometres east of this region. Escorted by hovercraft, it slaughtered its way down the Russian coast from the North, destroying quite a few Abyssals. Even a Ne-class cruiser was sunk in the encounter.

Should the Tsu-class sink the shipgirl, that means more leverage for it to move up the hierarchy. The cruiser briefly glimpsed another vessel across the waves. It immediately changed course to head towards it, followed by the PT imps. The shipgirl force of this nation must be nipped at the bud, or better still, pulled out at the roots. Otherwise, the country will start to advance in towards Abyssal territory. The Tsu-class ordered the PT boats to rush ahead and preferably harass the ship while she waits for it to be weakened before striking. Abyssals reported that the new cruiser type shipgirl has a very long reload time and armour that is weak for her class. The most effective way to deal with enemies like that is to swarm them with Abyssals that are small and fast.

* * *

Kirov continued heading towards the location of the figure. Guns and torpedo tubes loaded, he intended to ambush the Abyssal and take it out before he is detected. Which is why he was surprised when he was suddenly saw three Abyssals less than a hundred metres away. From the short glimpses, he could see that they were toddler-like entities with heads enclosed in horned black helmets, adorned by a pair of glowing blue eyes. Each of them held two tubes under their arms.

"What the fuck?" he swore, "Where did they come from?"

Kirov then radioed back to base, "Kirov to _Stalingrad_. Three new enemies have been spotted. More could be in the vicinity."

"Acknowledged," _Stalingrad_ replied, "Vladivostok is directing Mil-40s to your position."

The three PT imps quickly entered the engaging distance of the Russian cruiser.

"Kyahaha, ha ha," they laughed in creepy, high pitched voices.

"Laugh while you can," Kirov said, "fools. Fire!"

The cruiser's nine 180mm guns open fire. The shells speed towards the Abyssals, but a wave rose up and the shells hit the wall if water.

"Shit!" the cruiser cursed, "That is thirty seconds wasted."

One of the Abyssals appeared over a wave, five metres away. It laughed sinisterly as it launched two torpedoes. The Abyssal high speed torpedoes rush through the water. Kirov dodges the two deadly projectiles while closing the distance. But a huge explosion knocked Kirov forward.

"What the?" he exclaimed.

Turning around, he sees another PT Imp, laughing as it darted away. It must have been a torpedo hit while the cruiser was distracted. Kirov's slow firing 180mm guns won't be effective against such small and nimble targets, especially given the current state of the sea. But the PT boats seem to need to come very close to Kirov to guarantee a torpedo hit in the current sea state.

 _Well then,_ Kirov smirked, _time to give these little shits a taste of the Samozashchita Bez Oruzhiya._

A third PT imp charged at Kirov, laughing manically. It leaps off the top of a tall wave and comes crashing down towards the cruisier, intending to launch torpedoes at point blank range. The cruiser leaned back on his left leg while raising his right. At the same time, he reversed slowly. The imp comes screaming down, preparing to launch its two Abyssal high speed torpedoes. As it approached Kirov, the cruiser lashed out with his right leg. In a split second, his foot impacted the Imp.

"Iiiig!" the Imp screamed as it was kicked away.

The Abyssal bounced off a wave and is launched in the air. Kirov smirked as he aimed one of his turrets at the PT imp. A loud boom echoed across the sea. Three 180mm shells hit the airborne Abyssals and blow it into pieces.

"One down," he said, "two nearby, one more not here."


	8. The Samozashchita Bez Oruzhiya

**The Samozashchita Bez Oruzhiya**

The burnt pieces of what used to be the Abyssal PT Imp splashed into the water. Kirov looked around, waiting for the next attack. The cruiser cracked his knuckles and accelerates forward towards the location he last saw the dark figure. Staying still while the PT imps are still around is a very bad idea.

Kirov smiled in satisfaction as he remembered how he finished off the imp. It seems that in weather conditions like this, close combat skills would come in handy. As the returned ships reflect the crew they once housed, it means that Kirov is more than component at Samozashchita Bez Oruzhiya, or Sambo for short. The martial art is a fairly recent one, its development beginning in the 1920s and was recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938.

"Come on, you little fucks," Kirov swore under his breath, "I've got more for you."

The creepy, child-like laughter betrayed the arrival of a second PT imp.

 _What a bunch of idiots,_ Kirov thought, _announcing their presence._

But this time, the PT imps seemed to be more intelligent, for their laughter came from two separate directions. The first PT imp appeared from his left, quickly firing off a pair of Abyssal high speed torpedoes. Kirov darts between the torpedoes with a sharp left turn. The cruiser reaches out with his hand and grabs the Abyssal by its horn. The PT imp screeched like a rat begging for its life, but no way Kirov was going to have mercy.

The third PT imp charges down a wave at high speed. Kirov turns to face the threat. Using the strength of his upper body, he swings the first Abyssal into the second one. The imps are pulverized by the force of the impact. Their mangled bodies quickly sunk beneath the waves.

"That wasn't even hard," he muttered, "yet this is the enemy that brought the world to its knees?"

But a fourth enemy followed. A large, black whale like creature explodes out of a wave. Kirov is taken completely by surprise and had no defence when the Abyssal attacked with its 5 inch gun. The shots penetrated Kirov's thin armour easily, destroying a boiler.

"Shit!" he cursed as he attempted to turn around.

But the Abyssal destroyer has already rammed into him at full speed. Kirov is sent flying by the force of the impact. The splashes back down to the surface and bounced a few times, but lands on his feet in the last bounce. The Abyssal destroyer pursuits at full speed, jaws open and gun ready. But by then Kirov was ready too.

"Take that," he muttered, "all guns fire!"

Flames burst out from all 180mm guns of the cruiser. The shells speed through the air, arcing towards the Abyssal. Six hits are scored on the Ni-class, the shells passing through the thin armour and shredding the insides. The destroyer screeched in agony as its insides get blown up. Kirov accelerates towards the stricken destroyer, but slowed down when he heard the familiar sound of the Mil-40s.

Looking up, three of the tilt-jet gunships arrive on the scene. Kirov turns and moves away from the destroyer. The Mi-40's attack with electro optical guided missiles which finish off the Abyssal. Of all guidance systems for missiles, only they have some degree of effectiveness. Even then, most will fail to lock onto Abyssals unless fired in the direction of one. They were developed to hit target the size of aircraft, after all.

"Were the gunships necessary?" Kirov asked.

"Can't risk losing you," _Stalingrad_ replied, "are you going to continue with the patrol? The civilians have left."

"They're gone?" Kirov asked, "Then I'll head back. I've taken a few hits. Nothing serious though."

"You don't like modern Russians?"

"I don't like too much attention."

Then all hell broke loose. A volley of shells rain down upon the group. The rear Mi-40's right wing explodes as a shell entered the fuel line and ignited it. The burning gunship is sent into a spin as it came crashing down. A final explosion ripples through the aircraft as it hits the sea.

"What the fuck!" Kirov swore.

"We have one gunship down!" the pilot of the lead gunship exclaimed, "I say again, we have one gunship down!"

The two surviving gunships climb rapidly while turning to face the direction the shots came from. But the choppy coastal waters of Russia are hard to see over.

"There!" the gunner of the second Mi-40 said, "A humanoid abyssal! Opening fire."

The 30mm cannon mounted under the chin of the gunship roars to life, spewing a storm of shells, soon followed by the other gunship. The lead coated tungsten carbide shells splash across the sea, throwing up sheets of spray. Some of the shells hit the Abyssal cruiser, slicing through areas where the armour is thin. The gunner flicks few switches and taps a touch screen a few times. Several missiles speed out from underwing pylons and speed towards the Abyssal. Sensing its danger, the Tsu-class performs a sharp turn to starboard. Most of the missiles fail to lock onto the Abyssal, but three managed to track the Tsu-class and followed it through its turn. While the other missiles splash into the sea, creating tall pillars of water as they detonated, the three missiles smash into the Tsu-class, engulfing it in smoke and flames.

"Direct hit!" the gunner said.

"Don't let your guard down," the pilot warned, "the 9K150 Tayfuns are anti-tank missiles. The Abyssal won't go down that easily."

Sure enough, the Abyssal emerged from the smoke cloud, apparently unharmed. It turned to face the Russian gunships.

"Evasive manoeuvres!" the second gunships pilot ordered, "Now!"

The two Mi-40s break formation, but the Abyssal has them in its sights. Aiming its 5 inch dual purpose guns at the gunships, it prepared to open fire. But a volley of shells descended onto the cruiser just as it ordered its guns to fire. The four 180mm shells exploded against the Tsu-class, throwing off its aim. The Abyssal light cruiser turned in the direction the shells came in. Only to see Kirov jump off the top off a wave.

"So long, bitch," he said.

The cruiser brings his foot down as he descended, delivering a crushing blow to the shoulder. The Tsu-class staggered, almost tripping in the rough seas. Kirov bends his legs as he landed. Before the Tsu-class could respond, he launches himself forward, shoulder tackling the Abyssal. The Tsu-class recovered faster than Kirov expected, however, and counter attacked. Clenching its obscenely oversized hands into fists, the Abyssal attacks with a powerful punch with its right.

"What a noob," Kirov muttered as he lowered his centre of gravity and shifted his body to his right, "I could see that coming from a mile away."

As the Abyssal tried to pull back, Kirov grabbed onto the arm. In one swift movement, he pulled the Abyssal to himself powerfully. At the same time, he rotated his body so that he had his side to the Tsu-class. The result was a strong hip smash into the Abyssal's stomach.

"My goodness," the pilot of the first Mi-40 said, "that is a…"

Kirov then released the grip on his right hand and grabbed the Tsu-class's back. Then he leans forward sharply and, using his right hip as a pivot point, swings the Abyssal over his shoulder. The Tsu-class was slammed onto the surface of the water. Kirov fell with the Abyssal and smashed his body into the Tsu-class. The perfect hip throw was executed in one smooth move.

"A hip throw," the gunner finished the sentence, "a pretty good one."

"A reminder of our glorious past," the second Mi-40's gunner said.

But the Tsu-class wasn't finished. The Abyssal let out an angry roar.

"Huh?" Kirov blurted, "You want more?"

The Tsu-class grabbed Kirov with its left hand, which was free. The massive hand covered Kirov's head and shoulders. The shipguy didn't even have the time to fight back when the Tsu-class tossed him away like a rag doll.

"Shit!" Kirov cursed as he sailed through the air, "That was un-"

Kirov smashed into one of the gunships before falling back into the sea. The gunship was knocked back a few metres by the impact, the nose crumpled by the impact.

"Damn it!" the pilot said, "We're falling back!"

The two gunships retreat a few hundred metres back, their gunners preparing the next attack.

"Ugh," Kirov moaned, "damage report."

Information flooded into his mind. Moderate damage, including destroyed boilers and turbines, crippled turrets and disabled torpedo tubes. Things are not looking good. Tsu-class, despite being classed as light cruisers, are stronger than the Ri-class heavies. But surely that Tsu-class must be badly damaged.

Indeed, the Abyssal light cruiser has been thoroughly crippled. The Sambo techniques employed by the Soviet cruiser significantly decreased the structural integrity. Serious internal damage plagued the Tsu-class.

Kirov spat out a bit of blood before heading back towards the Tsu-class. He was getting ready for round two. Until a jolt of energy spread through the water beneath his feet and the air around him. In the distance, he can see the Tsu-class reacting as well. A dozen or some metres away, the wreck of the destroyer Mi-40 suddenly levitated out of the water. Several aircraft wrecks followed before being pulled into a singularity. A cloud of nebulous gas materialized from the singularity, expanding for a while. When all the wrecks are consumed, the cloud began to condense itself and glowed, radiating a dark blue light.

"Holy shit," a pilot muttered, "what is-"

"Another Primal," Kirov muttered, "impeccable timing."

The light began to fade as a human figure began to materialize. It is of a young boy, with fair skin and blonde hair. He is about eleven or twelve years old. He wears a white sailor shirt like Shimakaze's, only his had sleeves up to his elbows and had one row of button down the centre instead of two. He also had long navy trouses, ending in steel boots. A sailor hat is perched on his head.

His rigging consisted of a ships conning tower secured to his back, with the smokestack directly behind it. Mechanical stands extended from the base of the conning tower, reaching in front of the human figure, on either side of his body. They supported vaguely hull-shaped platforms, each with two superfiring single turrets on top and a double torpedo tube mount underneath.

The rigging is familiar to him. He had seen quite a few of them in the days when he served in the Baltic Fleet back in World War II. Four single 130mm guns and double 533mm torpedo tubes. He is either a Gnevy-class or a later _Soobrazitelnyy -_ class. Kirov didn't feel a sense of recognition, however. Not surprising, considering there was a lot of those ships around.

"Comrade!" Kirov called out, "A little help!"

The boy's eye snapped open. He noticed the damaged cruiser and made his way to him.

"Not with me," Kirov exclaimed, "with that!"

The boy turned to look in the direction Kirov pointed. Not too far away, a heavily damaged Tsu-class approached them steadily. Whereas the advent of a Primal frightened away Abyssals near Shikotan Island, this Tsu-class refused to be intimidated.

"Can you finish off that little fucker?" the cruiser asked.

"Leave it to me," the destroyer said as he accelerated towards the Abyssal, "hey comrade, you wanna play with me?"

"Pfft," Kirov snorted, "he wants to 'play'. What a spirited one."

* * *

 **Hooray, a second Soviet ship. I told you his is a Gnevy-class or Soobrazitelnyy -class destroyer, but not which one. I also didn't tell you his name. I left one very subtle hint, however. Did you pick up the hint?**


	9. Ryanyy, the Spirited

**Ryanyy,** **the Spirited**

The destroyer speeds towards the Tsu-class. The Abyssal light cruiser turned to face the advancing shipguy, but the destroyer is too fast.

"533mm torpedoes," the destroyer said, "fire!"

Four torpedoes shoot from the twin torpedo tubes and streak through the water, speeding towards the Abyssal. Although they possessed the firepower and various other properties of one, they did not have the size or weight. The turbulent seas quickly sent the torpedoes off course. Two of them breached the surface and porpoise uselessly.

The Tsu-class open's fire with its 5 inch guns, but the tall waves engulfed the shot.

"You'll never beat Ryanyy in a game," the destroyer remarked as he continued closing the distance between himself and the Abyssal, "if this is how you play."

"Quick," a gunship pilot said, "while the Abyssal is distracted."

The Mi-40s fire off a second volley of missiles at the Abyssal, expending their ammunition for the fight. Preoccupied with attacking Ryanyy and too damaged to move quickly, he Tsu-class was unable to evade the missiles. Although two missiles failed to lock, the rest descended upon the Abyssal in a furious barrage.

"Kirov," the pilot said, "we have expended our missiles and our cannon's will barely scratch it. We will be heading back to base. More reinforcements will be sent."

"No need," Kirov replied, "this kid will finish off the Abyssal."

The Tsu-class emerged from the smoke and flame of the missile blasts. The gunships have already retreated, moving away at six hundred kilometres per hour. The new destroyer has vanished. The Tsu-class looked around, but the destroyer was nowhere to be seen.

"Too late," Ryanyy said as he sped by behind the Abyssal.

Before it could even turn around, multiple 533mm torpedoes have already hit it. After the long and intense fight, the Tsu-class is finally destroyed. The torpedoes explosions rip through the Abyssal, multiplying the damage Kirov inflicted earlier. The Tsu-class explodes with such force that nothing was left. Ryanyy circled the area before moving back to Kirov.

"Hey, big bro," he said, "you okay?"

"Eh," Kirov replied, "moderate damage. I have been hit all over and my damage from a previous wasn't repaired either. We better go back. Who are you, by the way?"

"Gnevy-class destroyer, Rynayy," Rynayy replied, "served in the Pacific Fleet until being sunk in the Sea of Japan in weapon tests in the 60's. A rather mediocre service history."

"If you want to change that," Kirov commented, "now's the chance. The bastards that attacked us are Abyssals and they have already decimated shipping and coastal settlements. Obviously, Russia is included. But let us return to Vladivostok for now."

"Going home at last," Ryanyy nodded, "it's been a while."

* * *

It took a while before Vladivostok appeared in front of the two Red Fleet ships.

"I am excited to go home," Ryanyy rambled, "it's been so long since 1961. I wonder what Vladivostok would look like now. Maybe they have launch pads for spaceships! We launched the first satellite into space, after all."

"And the first man," Kirov interrupted, "the same year you were sunk. But the point is, Vladivostok is not going to live up to you expectations."

"Huh?" asked Ryanyy, "Why?"

"Just watch," Kirov said casually, "and you will figure out soon enough."

* * *

The cruiser and destroyer steamed into Vladivostok. Kirov was secretly glad that the people were gone. It would be embarrassing for the people to see him, with ripped and burnt clothes on top of the damaged rigging. Ryanyy looked around, shocked. The buildings which once dominated the skyline are now nothing but weathered wrecks.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"Abyssals," Kirov replied, "did this to every coastal settlement in the world. Except for Shanghai, apparently."

"This is so sad," Ryanyy put his hands on his hips, until he saw the _Stalingrad_ , "holy shit, what is that?"

"The _Stalingrad_ aircraft carrying ekranoplan," Kirov smiled, "a throwback to the Cold War days when we were the greatest power on Earth."

The duo step onto land and dissipate their rigging, both instinctively doing so. A group of people in navy uniform run over to them.

"How did you go?" asked Marx.

"We sunk those who trespassed upon our territory," Kirov smiled proudly, "a job well done."

"Impressive," Yakubov nodded, "fitting for a Red Fleet ship."

"I am fascinated," Ochakov said, "I look forward to working with you."

Zria pushes the men out of her way, "Good god, you are hurt!"

"Eh?" Kirov tilted his head, "Damaged, yes. Hurt, not really."

Zria frowned, "But…"

Kriov leaned back casually, "Comrade, my humanity is skin deep. Okay, maybe a little deeper, but what I am saying is that the only human about me is my looks. Humans are soft and squishy. We are strong."

"You worry too much, Miss Sotnikov," Yakubov said to Zria, "for these entities of steel."

"Yeah!" Ryanyy crosses his arms indignantly, "We're proud ships of the Soviet Navy."

"Oh?" Ochakov said, "And who would you be?"

Ryanyy grinned, "Gnevy-class destroyer, Ryanyy. Served in the Soviet Pacific Fleet until the year we sent man into space."

"You could have said 1961," Kirov said.

"Eh," Ryanyy scratched his head, "that's boring."

"So, uh," Ochakov asked, "sorry about Vladivostok being in this state."

"You aren't to blame, comrade," Ryanyy comforted the man, "the Abyssals are. I am just going to destroy them all until I sink. Preferably in a battle this time."

"You are taking this pretty well…" Zria cocked her head, "shouldn't you be enraged or furious that Mother Russia has been destroyed at her coasts?"

"Enraged or furious?" Ryanyy leaned forward, "I am not Razyaryonnyy or Razyashchyy. They are the ones you should worry about."

"Okay," Zria said, "wait, what?"

"Exactly what I said," Ryanyy nods, "they are not going to be the kind of shipguys you want to be near."

"Anyway," Zria turns her attention back to Kirov, "aren't you hurting?"

The cruiser looked at her like she was speaking binary, "Hurting?"

"Yeah!" Zria gestured at his ripped clothes and burnt skin, "You know, when your sensory nerves send signals to your brain, which registers it as a highly unpleasant sensation."

Kirov shakes his head slowly. Zria growled angrily and grabbed his hand before walking off towards the _Stalingrad._

"Why are you pretending to be strong?" she demanded.

"Pretending?" Kirov said casually, "I was strong since I descended upon Shikotan Island. I sailed back here from Japan, obliterating Abyssals left right and centre."

"I know you feel pain," she suddenly stops in front of Kirov and faces him, "your humanity is skin deep, but you still feel pain. I have seen the shipgirls on Shikotan Island cry before. You may deceive the navy officers, but you can't trick me."

Kirov chuckled, "Do not compare a shipguy of the Soviet Red Fleet to those pitiful shipgirls from that tiny island nation or that obsolete shipgirl from the neighbour under us. I am strong."

" _We_ are strong," Ryanyy says as he catches up, "make no mistake about that. Say, girl, do you want to go on a date with me? There used to be nice bars in Vladivostok."

Kirov grabs him by his ear and lifts his arm.

"Iiiig! Iiiiig!" Ryanyy screeched like a struck PT imp, "I was just joking! I have no interest in older women."

Zria grabbed him by his other ear and pulled as well.

"You look like you're having fun," a fairy said as he flew over to them, "how was the fight?"

"Awesome," Kirov replied, "I took on a fleet of Abyssals and sunk most of them."

"Then I came in and finished off the cruiser," Ryanyy added.

"Another Primal, hmm?" the fairy said, "That's good, because it is going to take a few days for us to get an operational base set up. Kirov, we'd get you repaired, but we haven't gotten the resource generators up and running yet. That'll take us a few days."

He points to Kirov, "Comrade, we will be taking you out of combat for the next few days. Ryanyy, we're counting on you to scout the waters surrounding this place and to direct the Russian air force to attacking Abyssals. And pick up resources."

"You can count on me," Ryanyy said, "but what do you mean by resources?"

"Steel, fuel, ammunition and bauxite," the fairy replied, "they will be scattered out in the sea. Unlike normal steel, they radiate an aura that returned ships like you and Abyssals are sensitive to. They can be used in construction and repairs by us fairies."

"We have all this scrap metal here," Zria points to the ruined buildings of Vladivostok, "can't you use that?"

The fairy frowned, "We can try, but we can't guarantee the results."

He turned to Ryanyy, "Buddy, go out on an expedition and see if you can find any of those resources."

"You can count on me," Ryanyy said.

"I meant now," the fairy said, "Kirov, you come back to the _Stalingrad_. We'll see if steel stripped from nearby buildings can be used to repair you."

"Now?" complained Ryanyy, "I just got home."

But the destroyer turned and headed back to the water anyway.

"Now," the fairy said, "let's see what regular steel can do."

* * *

 **Working hard to bring Red Fleet Resurrected to the same level as Descendants of the Dragon. And yes, HyperionGM, the new shipguy is Ryanyy. And no, the next two are unlikely to be Razyaryonnyy or Razyashchyy because I am biased against long names I cannot remember.  
**


	10. Normal Steel vs Fairy Steel

**Normal Steel vs Fairy Steel**

"I'll call over my buddies first," the fairy said, "so wait here."

"Is he really going to tear down these buildings?" asked Kirov as he watched the fairy leave.

"Nah," Zria shook her head, "I don't think so. There should be enough scrap metal lying around."

The girl pointed to Kirov's burns, "Even if you are solid steel, surely a few cars would be enough."

"We are back," the fairy said as he returned, leading a sizable group of fairies, "now for the gathering of steel."

"Are you really going to take apart buildings?" asked Kirov.

"We will be taking steel from any source nearby," the fairy replied, "and that might include buildings."

"I think we better ask the Navy guys," Zria said, "just in case."

The large group walks/flies over to Yakubov, Marx and Ochakov. Ryanyy is present too, listening to Ochakov talk.

"Ryanyy," Kirov called out, "I thought you were going on an expedition."

"Sorry," the destroyer scratched his head, "but Ochakov here was telling me about the Battle of Okhost Sea."

"Umm," the cruiser replied, "I don't know how to put this, but the fairies here said that they might have to dismantle a building to get the steel needed for my repairs."

"We're here to get permission," Zria added, "because…reasons."

Marx and Yakubov look around at the ruins of Vladivostok. Even if the city is to be rebuilt, it would have to be torn down to the foundations first.

"Knock yourselves out," Yakubov said casually, "no one will notice the difference anyway."

"Thank you sir," the fairy said before ordering his cronies, "get to work, comrades."

The fairies drift over to the remains of a nearby building. The lead fairy inspected the steel girders which protruded from what used to be an apartment block. The building is now a pile of weathered rubble with steel girders and poles sticking up through the pile. Shaking his head, he moves onto the next building. The cluster of fairies spread out drift around Vladivostok, looking at all the buildings.

The Russians look on as the fairies move out, eventually reaching the water's edge. The fairies peer into the water before the leader flew back to the shipguy and people.

"The buildings are in poor condition," it said, "and they don't offer much steel. There ships in the water, however, and they will be useful. Especially that massive aircraft carrier that I saw. Beautiful piece of machinery. Too bad it is wrecked."

"Why?" asked Yakubov, "You can't be asking us to pull _Admiral Kuznetsov_ – class carriers out of the water."

"Oh," the fairy replied, "we won't be doing that. All we are doing is harvest some scrap metal as material for Kirov's repair. Or count on Ryanyy to go out on an expedition and bring stuff back. Yo Ryanyy!"

"What?" the destroyer turned his head.

"You know how to harvest resources?" the fairy said.

"Nope," Ryanyy shook his head, grinning.

Veins on the fairy's head protruded as he materialized a spanner. Before Ryanyy could respond, the fairy brought it down at the speed of sound onto his head. A loud clang echoed across Vladivostok and reverberated around the vicinity.

"Is his head empty?" asked Zria, shocked.

"No," the fairy replied, "just made of steel. I am surprised it didn't sound like a solid block of steel. Now listen up, kid. When you go out to sea, there are some steel, along with other resources that you can harvest."

"Yes," Ryanyy nodded, "you said they radiate an aura that we returned ship are sensitive to."

"Precisely," the fairy said, "the amount of material that can be utilized does not depend on how much you gather. One could even argue that it isn't even steel that you are harvesting. Rather, it is the spiritual energy inside."

"Damn," Zria muttered as she pushed her glasses up, "there goes my knowledge in physics."

"Call it fairy magic," the fairy said, "anyway, Ryanyy, when you want to pick up the steel, just mentally call out the fairies who are with you. They will draw out the aura from the steel, which you can absorb. The fairies will convert it back to material when you return."

"How far out must I go?" Ryanyy asked.

"Well," the fairy rubbed his chin, "the metals with the highest concentration of aura are shipwrecks, because they accumulate spiritual energy from the people that used them and from simply ageing."

"Shipgirls of other nations have gone on expeditions lasting several weeks," Zria said, "

"Understood," Ryanyy nodded, "I will head out now. I'll be gone for a while though."

"Wait," Ochakov said, taking out his phone from his pocket, "take this."

"What is it?" asked Ryanyy as he took it from Ochakov's hand.

"A mobile phone," Ochakov said, "a phone, except mobile. Keep it somewhere safe. It will allow us to track your location. But don't lose it or I'll build one using materials ripped from your carcass."

"Yes sir," Ryanyy said as he turned away, putting the phone in his pocket.

The destroyer walk to the water and materialized his rigging as he walked in. In a few minutes, he steamed away, heading South towards the Sea of Japan.

"I hope he isn't using the expedition as an excuse to slack off," Kirov crossed his arms and watched disapprovingly at the retreating form of Ryanyy, "or get himself in trouble with other countries."

Zria giggled, "Come on, he won't."

"Hmph," Kirov said, "he better not. I don't think that kid is responsible or reliable."

Meanwhile, the fairies hover over the _Admiral Kuznetsov._ The fairies hold out their hands, pointing their palms at the sunk aircraft carrier. The air shook as the fairies did their magic. Blue glowing orbs rose from the water and moved towards the fairies.

"What is that?" asked Yakubov.

"It could be ionized air glow or Cherenkov radiation," Zria said, "we would need special scientific equipment and a bunch of nuclear physicists to understand. Hoping it isn't the latter, though. I am not too interested in getting cancer."

"I thought you were smart," Marx said casually.

"I only have education equivalent to a high school graduate," Zria admitted, "and I haven't set foot in a school since 2026. There is only so much you can learn across a computer screen. This…fairy magic…would leave many scientists baffled."

"Indeed it has," Yakubov replied, "a few years ago, nations with shipgirls gave up trying to understand them. After all, it wasn't necessary. Knowledge on the biology and mechanics of shipgirls wasn't necessary to keep them fighting. In fact, most nations with shipgirls are relying on shipgirls exclusively."

"Why?" asked Kirov, "You have all these powerful modern weapons."

"Money," Marx said as he turned to him, "one missile can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even millions. Warships cost hundreds of millions to build and lots of men to operate. Shipgirls generate and use their own resources while actually be effective against Abyssals. China is bleeding huge amounts of money keeping their fortifications operational."

The fairies grab the orbs and carry them off towards the _Stalingrad_.

"Well then," Kirov raised an eyebrow, "it looks the fairies managed to harvest a considerable amount of resources. It should be enough for my repairs."

"Not necessarily," the lead fairy said, "we haven't checked how much we have extracted. That shipwreck looks relatively new, so I doubt we were able to extract much spiritual power from it."

"Regardless," Kirov said, "should we call Ryanyy back?"

"Yeah," the fairy nodded, "there is no point if we have a supply of metal/spiritual energy. That aircraft carrier isn't the only ship in the bay. Expeditions really aren't necessary. At least not for now."

"I say we let him go," Zria countered, "if anything, he can at least gain experience."

"You are in no position to make decisions," Marx said, "civilian."

Zria was about to argue, but Kirov stepped in.

"With all due respect," Kirov said, "but nowhere did Miss Sotnikov ever attempt to make a decision or give an order. All she did was offer a suggestion."

 _Kirov_ , Zria thought, _you stood up for me. Does that mean you accept me as your-_

"Though to be honest," Kirov continued, "I agree with the fairy. We can always get experience later. Sending Ryanyy into uncharted waters on his own is dangerous. I am a heavy cruiser and even I got badly damaged. A Gnevy-class destroyer stands no chance against Abyssals."

Zria fought back the urge to attack him for his betrayal. But what Kirov said made sense. She also thought that Kirov was okay about having her as his commander. It appears she has a while to go."

"Well then," Marx smiled, satisfied, "we shall order Ryanyy to come back. Now, to the _Stalingrad._ "

* * *

Ryanyy headed south towards the wreck of _Ryanyy_. The destroyer intended to visit his former self for the sake of it. The question of whether he can actually harvest resources from a wreck hundreds of metres below the sea never crossed his mind. After all, the lead fairy never mentioned there was a depth limit to which the fairies can harvest the spiritual power. So it's not like there is one…right?

Of course, Ryanyy, being Ryanyy, never thought of this. Soon after he left Vladivostok however, he received a radio transmission.

" _Stalingrad_ to Ryanyy," it went, "this is Kirov. You have been ordered to return immediately."

" _Whaaaaat_ ," Ryanyy exclaimed, "why?"

"Because it is too dangerous to go out on your own!" the voice snapped, "Come back immediately."

"I refuse," Ryanyy retorted, "I am heading to the wreck of my former self and I am not that far from the coast line. I will gather materials from the wreck."

"Return immediately," Kirov continued saying, "or you will face disciplinary action."

"Negative," Ryanyy replied, "I will be approaching my wreck very shortly. You are not my commanding officer."

A short pause could be heard on the radio before another voice said, "Ryanyy, this is Captain Ochakov. You have been granted permission to go ahead. But if you run into opposition, retreat immediately."

"Really?" Ryanyy asked, "Gee, you're the best."

* * *

"What?" Yakubov exclaimed, "You are letting him go?"

"Yes," Ochakov said, "assuming I have the authority to. He knows a good source of materials, so why not let him go? Besides, the _Gnevy_ -class were really fast, yes? Ryanyy should be able to outrun anything on these seas. Let the kid have a bit of fun, because things are going to get hard."


	11. Heavy Cruiser Prince

**Heavy Cruiser Prince**

Ryanyy continued heading towards his wreck at full speed. He is happy that Ochakov granted him permission. Kirov didn't approve of the move, but he lacks the authority. Besides, the cruiser would be grateful that Ryanyy brought back a huge amount of resources.

"Hmm," he muttered to himself, two hours into the trip, "this seems to be the place I went down. Well, is it? I dunno. There are no landmarks here."

Ryanyy looked around. The weather is okay and the waves were not as big as the ones in coastal waters. That is good. The _Gnevny_ -class destroyers suffered from structural weaknesses, causing limited seaworthiness. An issue shared with contemporary ltalian ships and a real problem in the rough waters off the coast of Russia. A century's worth of climate change isn't going to make things easier.

"Ryanyy to _Stalingrad_ ," Ryanyy reported, "I am approaching the location of my wreck. But I don't know my exact location, so I may take a while."

"Acknowledged," Ochakov replied, "make it quick."

"Yes sir," Ryanyy answered, "Ryanyy out."

The sound of gunfire reached his ears from a distance.

"Hmm," Ryanyy turned to face the sound, "there is a battle going on."

"Ryanyy to _Stalingrad_ ," Ryanyy reported, "I heard the sound of gunshots but have yet to reach my destination. Should I return to Vladivostok?"

* * *

"Ah!" Urakaze screamed as another shell impacted her.

"Onee-san!" Hamakaze shouted.

"Shit," Arashi swore, "that demon is still chasing us!"

"And who's fault do you think it was?" shouted the other two.

"Blaming Arashi won't save us," Maikaze said, "just concentrate on escaping."

The four Kagerou-class destroyers are fleeing north, speeding along at full speed and firing shots behind them.

"We're doing 35 knots," Hamakaze said, "but that demon is right on our tail!"

Not far behind them, an Abyssal gave chase.

"Goddamit," Urakaze complained, "is he ever going to give up?"

It all started a short while ago. The destroyers Urakaze, Hamakaze, Arashi and Maikaze were sent on an expedition. The group was heading to the location where they found a huge supply of steel earlier. The supply is an old shipwreck in the Sea of Japan. The wreck possessed considerable spiritual power, which could be converted to materials needed for shipgirls.

* * *

 _Five minutes ago_

"Ladies," Urakaze announced, "we are now at the wreck. This is a juicy source of spiritual power, enough to make thousands of each material."

"Admiral praised us," Hamakaze nodded, "and we will get more when we take another batch back."

A burst of energy propagated through the air and the water, jolting the Japanese shipgirls."

"This sensation," Urakaze whispered, "is it another Primal?"

"Ooh," Maikaze rubbed her hands together, "I wonder who it could be."

The water under them suddenly shot up, displaced by a massive object. The shipgirls are pushed back by a massive wave of water.

"Crap!" Urakaze shouted.

Arashi pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked. The shipwreck which they harvested spiritual power from has been lifted out of the water. The wreck collapsed on itself, pulling into a singularity and spawned a cloud of nebulous gas. But instead of glowing blue like Primal shipgirls, this cloud glowed red.

"I don't like the look of this," Hamakaze whimpered, "the aura is hostile and repelling."

"Should we retreat?" asked Arashi.

"Yeah, let's go," Urakaze nodded, "girls, the wreck is gone anyway and since this is an expedition, we are instructed to not eng-"

The gas cloud dissipated as the figure materialized. Unlike all other Abyssals seen so far, this one is male. A Heavy Cruiser Princess. Well, prince is the better word. The Abyssal wore long, tailored pants and an overcoat. Both are pure white, just like the Abyssal's skin. His orange eyes blazed before cooling down to a soft glow. Two massive slug like extensions sprouted from his back, ending in a triple gun mount. It also carried another triple turret on its right waist.

"It's an Abyssal," Maikaze whispered.

"No shit," Arashi snapped, "I thought we established that when it gave off that freaky red aura."

"It's looking at us," Urakaze pointed.

The other Kagerou-class looked. Sure enough, the Heavy Cruiser Prince regarded them, his face as expressionless as a stone. It showed no signs of aggression, or even hostility. But it possessed a very scary gaze.

"Why isn't it attacking?" asked Hamakaze, "Any other Abyssal would have attacked us by now."

"That's why I wondered whether it was an Abyssal," Maikaze argued, "because it didn't go ape shit and attack us."

"It's still an Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Princess," Arashi retorted as she pointed, "no matter how you look at it."

"A Heavy Cruiser _Prince_ ," Urakaze grinned, "to be precise. He ain't half bad looking. Maybe Ashigara would like him."

"Nah," Arashi pointed her cannons at the Abyssal, "I say we sink this Abyssal here and now. While his guar-"

One of the Abyssal's body extensions shot forward. Before Arashi could finish her sentence, the jaws at the end bit down, crushing the turret she held in her right hand. The extension then pulled back, yanking the turret out of her hand. The jaws chewed on the turret while the extension swallowed the parts that didn't fall off. The Prince smirked, as if satisfied that it proved he was superior.

"OI!" Arashi shouted, "THAT WAS A PRECIOUS PIECE OF MY EQUIPMENT! Give it back!"

"Arashi!" Urakaze exclaimed, "We can't fight that!"

The warning came too late, because the Prince lunged forward and swiped at Arashi with his right hand. Arashi raised her right arm to block while moving back. It was a wise move, because she would otherwise get more than multiple open slash wounds.

"Shit!" Arashi shouted, "What are you waiting for? Attack!"

"No way!" Hamakaze exclaimed, "We ain't battleships. Heck, we don't even have torpedoes!"

"Then what?" asked Maikaze.

"RUN!" Urakaze shouted at the top of her lungs.

The destroyers rush past the Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Prince and speed north. The idea was to go out of the Abyssal's sight before splitting into two groups and coming back around before heading to Japan. But the Abyssal cruiser not only gave chase. It kept pace as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the _Stalingrad_ , the navy officers debated on whether to send Ryanyy to investigate.

"There is a battle," Yakubov said, "according to Ryanyy, and he is asking whether he should return to Vladivostok or investigate."

"Well," Zria said, "we only have two shipguys in total. It would be unwise for us to risk Ryanyy in battle, particularly on his own."

"I disagree," Ochakov shook his head, "I believe it is the best for Ryanyy to investigate. A battle implies that someone is fighting the Abyssals. Ryanyy would not be alone. If he decides to fight, it would give him some experience in combat. And if the situation goes downhill, _Gnevny_ -class can do 39 knots. He can outrun anything the Abyssals can throw at him."

"What about the PT imps?" asked Kirov, "They are very fast."

"Those little Abyssal infants can go fuck themselves," Ochakov ranted, "I have faith in Ryanyy. He should have the weapons and agility to take them on. Don't you have faith in him?"

"I don't believe he has what it takes to be a Soviet shipguy," Kirov crossed his arms.

"I suppose that we could send Ryanyy to investigate," Marx interrupted, "but order him to flee as soon as things are not looking good."

"Yes sir," Ochakov said.

"Should I go and join him?" Kirov asked, "I am repaired."

"If you so wish," Marx said, "but I don't think it is necessary."

* * *

Ryanyy received orders to investigate the gunfire while avoiding any direct confrontations. The destroyer didn't complain. He has no desire to get wrecked on his first day. A little while later, he spotted multiple figure on the ocean. As they drew closer, Ryanyy could see that they are young girls. Behind them is a monster looking very pissed off.

"Ryanyy to _Stalingrad,_ " Ryanyy reported, "I see four shipgirls of unknown origin fleeing from an Abyssal. Should I assist them in fighting?"

"Fleeing?" asked Kirov, "Even with four against one? Then either the enemy Abyssal is very powerful or the shipgirls are very weak. Either way, you should not get involved. Come back to Vladivostok now."

"Acknowledged," Ryanyy said, "I am returning to Vladivostok."

* * *

The Japanese destroyers continue fleeing.

"Alright," Urakaze ordered, "this is not going well. We're splitting forces."

Urakaze and Maikaze turn sharply to starboard, while Arashi and Hamakaze to port. They hoped that the Heavy Cruiser Prince would be confused for long enough for them to escape. But that didn't work, because the Abyssal turned port as well, chasing Arashi and Hamakaze.

"Crap!" Arashi shouted, "What now?"

"Arashi," Urakaze said over the radio, "I am sorry to tell you this, but you're on your own. If you didn't aggravate that Abyssal, he wouldn't be trying to kill us."

"Oh GOD NO!" Arashi shouted, "We're sisters!"

"You're a destroyer," Urakaze replied, "losing a Heavy Cruiser should be no problem. We're heading back to Japan. Good luck."

"FUCK!" Arashi shouted, "NO!"

"I'll stay by your side," Hamakaze reassured her, "okay?"

Three shells splashed in the water next to them. For whatever reason, the Abyssal's gun had a lower rate of fire than normal Heavy Cruiser Princesses and suffered from appalling dispersion.

"I can get away," Arashi said to herself, "I'll just-AH!"

One shell managed to hit her.

"I am so screwed," she said, "so-"

That was when she noticed another Abyssal closing in on her from her left. He is also male, but appeared to be destroyer aged. An Abyssal Destroyer Prince? A wicked grin spread across Arashi's face as she turned sharply to him. The new Abyssal didn't seem aggressive either.

"What are you doing?" asked Hamakaze.

Arashi slammed into the Abyssal before grabbing him by his shoulder. She aimed her surviving turret at the Abyssal's head.

"Yo, Abyssal!" Arashi shouted, "Keep chasing us and we'll blow your kids brain out!"

"That won't work!" Hamakaze exclaimed, "You'll just piss him off!"

The Destroyer Prince struggled and shouted in a language that Arashi and Hamakaze didn't understand.

"You think they're communicating?" asked Hamakaze.

"They must be," Arashi pointed at the Prince, "look."

The Abyssal Heavy Cruiser had slowed down. But it pointed all of its guns at the trio.

"It isn't working," Hamakaze whispered, "we're so gonna die."

The slug like extensions of the Heavy Cruiser Prince shot forward, but a gunshot stopped them. Smoke curled out from Arashi's guns. The Destroyer Prince's mast was shot away.

"Stay back," Hamakaze said shakily to the Heavy Cruiser, "or else."

The Destroyer Prince continued shouting in the unknown language. The Heavy Cruiser Prince growled and backed away.

"Holy shit," Arashi said, "it worked."

"What are you waiting for?" snapped Hamakaze, "We're heading back to Japan."

The Destroyer Prince continued to struggle.

"Hush," Hamakaze pulled him to her chest, "We'll let you go when we get back to Japan."

The Destroyer Prince stopped struggling. He almost went limp.

"Ah," Arashi nodded, "so he understood us. Come on, we better go before that Heavy Cruiser Prince changes his mind and attacks us all."

"Let's go," Hamakaze said, releasing the Abyssal.

The Destroyer Prince attempted to rush north, but Arashi grabbed him.

"Damn," she said, "we caught a wild one. Hey, why don't we take him back to the Admiral? Would he praise us?"

"I dunno," Hamakaze replied, "I don't want him broadcasting our location to the Abyssals. Heck, he may even be calling nearby Abyssal to him right now."

"Then we keep a hold on him," Arashi argued, "in case the Abyssals attack. He'll be our hostage."

"If you insist," Hamakaze said at last, "bring him along."

* * *

"We've lost contact with Ryanyy," Marx said, "he is still afloat, but we can't reach him."

"That fucking kid must have shut down his radio," Kirov muttered, "when he comes back, I am going to kick his ass."

"He is heading south," Zria remarked, looking at her phone, "towards Japan. Well, that is where Ochakov's phone is, at least."

"What is he thinking?" wondered Ochakov.


	12. Destroyer Prince

**Destroyer Prince**

Hamakaze and Arashi dragged a struggling Abyssal Destroyer Prince as they travelled south, heading back to their base on Hegura-jima. Hamakaze carried it by his legs while Arashi carried it by his neck.

"Did we really have to drag this Abyssal all the way here?" asked Hamakaze.

"Yeah," Arashi replied, "we don't want its dad coming after us. Damn it, why did the Abyssal pretend to be our friend?"

"You fool," Hamakaze chided, "that Abyssal showed no signs of attacking until you shouted and pointed your gun at it. It may not know our language, but it sure as hell recognizes aggression. Now it must have told all his friends that ships girls are absolute bitches who should be destroyed."

"What about this one?" asked Arashi, trying to change the topic, "What should we do with him?"

"Be nice to him," Hamakaze replied, "and hope he says something nice about us to his buddies."

"Why can't we keep him until we have a use for him?" asked Arashi, "I don't understand his language, but I got a feeling he has been shouting obscenities at us."

"If we kept him at Hegura-jima," Hamakaze said, "he'd get molested by Ashigara. If we send him to Sasebo, he'd get harassed by Atago. If we sent him to Tokyo or Yokosuka, he'd get assaulted by Nagato. That's if Akashi doesn't dissect him first. He and his friends probably wouldn't be too thrilled."

"So?" asked Arashi, "Do you care about him?"

"Eh," Hamakaze shrugged, "he seems friendly enough. I think we should give him a name."

In the distance, Urakaze and Maikaze sped towards them.

"Sister," Urakaze said, "you are okay."

"Yeah," Arashi frowned, "no thanks to you."

"Hey," Urakaze retorted, "you picked a fight with an Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Prince instead of taking advantage of his confusion and fleeing."

She noticed the Abyssal Destroyer Prince.

"And what is this you have here?" she asked.

"An Abyssal Destroyer Prince," Arashi grinned proudly, "Hamakaze and I were retreating from the Heavy Cruiser Prince when we encountered this little fella. He didn't seem aggressive, so I nabbed him and took him hostage. Had to shoot off a piece of his rigging to get the Heavy Cruiser Prince to back off. But let's hurry back. We don't want our Admiral to get worried."

"Aye," Maikaze said, "we better hurry before he calls in his Abyssal flunkies."

The four destroyers head towards Hegura-jima, holding the struggling Abyssal Destroyer. As night fell upon the ocean, the group arrived at Hegura-jima. Located in the Sea of Japan, 45 kilometres from the mainland, the tiny island has been uninhabited since 2005. Only tourists and migratory birds visited. In the Abyssal War, the island was wretched from Abyssal control and now serves as a forward operating base. The destroyer dissipate their rigging and step onto the ground.

The Abyssal Destroyer Prince seemed to be waiting for this moment, because he elbowed Arashi in her side. The destroyer yelped and loosened her grip. The Abyssal dropped to the ground, catching himself with his arms. The shipgirls yelled and prepared to restrain him. Hamakaze tightened her grip on the Destroyer Prince's legs. The Abyssal gripped the ground and delivered a burst of power to his abdomen. Hamakaze was lifted out of the water, he destroyer shouting in surprise. The next thing she knew, she was flung over the Abyssal and crashed into Arashi. Hamakaze loosened her grip. The destroyer freed himself and immediately accelerated away when he ht he water.

* * *

"Damn it," Ryanyy muttered as he sped towards Vladivostok at full speed, "those сукаs wrecked my radio and took me to this freaking island. The navy guys are so going to freak out after no contact for hours. Zria would be worried sick and Kirov would scrap me with his bare hands. The white haired girl has some awesome boobs though. Her blue hair friend is pretty good too."

"私のもとに戻ってきて!" a voice said behind him.

Turning back, Ryanyy saw the four Japanese destroyers in hot pursuit.

"Oh HELL no," he muttered, "I've got no time to play with them."

Ryanyy, being a Gnevny-class destroyer, is capable of 38 knots, as opposed to 35 knots of the four Kagerou-class that pursued him.

"Ha ha," Ryanyy laughed, "I am faster than you, suckers."

Since he looked back for most of the time and was not equipped with radar, he didn't notice four shadows in front of him until it was too late. A powerful hand yanked him out of the water by his collar.

"Blrgh!" Ryanyy choked on his collar, "What the fuck?"

Turning to face his assailant, he sees a young woman in a shrine maiden outfit, equipped with a massive rigging and massive dual turrets. She wore a confused expression on her face. Several other shipgirls are nearby.

* * *

"It's the main fleet," Hamakaze remarked as she slowed down, "they're back."

The fleet is the main striking force of the new Hegura-jima Fleet, under the command of Admiral Tomoyuki Miyagawa. Comprised of battleship Ise, heavy cruisers Myoukou and Ashigara and destroyers Tanikaze, Tokitsukaze and Shiranui, though the destroyers are interchanged with Urakaze, Arashi, Maikaze and Urakaze.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Ise, "And what is this?"

"Um," Arashi said, "well, we were on an expedition to gather resources in the Sea of Japan. A jackpot of resources. First, we ran into a Heavy Cruiser Prince."

"I'm sorry what?" asked Ashigara.

"A Heavy Cruiser Prince," Hamakaze explained, "you know, a Heavy Cruiser Princess, except male."

"Answer the second question," Ise ordered before shouting, "shit! The little fuck bites."

She released her grip on the destroyer. It accelerated as soon as it hit the water but was tackled and held by Myoukou and Ashigara.

"That is what I call a Destroyer Prince," Hamakaze continued, "you see, Arashi picked a fight with the Heavy Cruiser Prince. The Destroyer Prince was nearby, so we took it hostage. The Heavy Cruiser Prince let us go and just so he doesn't come after us, we took Destroyer Prince with us."

"So we have male Abyssals, huh?" Myoukou muttered, "Right after the Soviets get male ship…guys."

The Destroyer Prince continued struggling and spewing what was assumed to be Abyssal swear words. But then and again, Abyssals could speak human languages, so why not insult using human languages?

"Anyway," Ise said, "take him back to Hegura-jima. We'll ask the admiral what to do."

* * *

Admiral Tomoyuki Miyagawa was sitting in his office, preparing to do paperwork about the sortie north into the Sea of Japan when he heard the knock on the door.

"The strike force is back," he said, "come in."

The shipgirls of the strike force entered the officer. Ise appeared to be holding a young boy in a headlock. Ashigara and Myoukou held him by his legs and waist respectively. The destroyers followed the heavy cruiser and battleship in.

"Who is that?" asked Miyagawa.

"A new Abyssal," Hamakaze replied, "which we captured after encountering the Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Prince. I assume that this is a destroyer Prince."

"Huh," Miyagawa stands up and walks out from behind his desk, "you encountered male Abyssals."

He stoops down to eye level with the Destroyer Prince, "Hmm, so this is a destroyer Prince eh? What about the Heavy Cruiser Prince?"

"The Heavy Cruiser Prince has a rigging similar to the Heavy Cruiser Princess," Arashi replied, "except with a male main body and triple turrets."

"That's odd," Miyagawa replied, "because this vessel, which you claim to be a Destroyer Prince, looks nothing like the Destroyer Princess."

The Destroyer Prince tried to lunge forward and bite, missing Miyagawa by the width of a hair. Myoukou promptly kneed him in the stomach, causing the destroyer to gasp.

"He's a wild one," the Admiral remarked, "be careful around him."

"What should we do?" asked Ise.

"Releasing him is out of the question," Miyagawa said, "but we don't have any holding cells. And now it is night time."

"You didn't answer my question," Ise added, "what do we do with him."

Miyagawa thought for a moment.

"There is an abandoned fishing village nearby," he said, "there should be strong ropes and fishing nets left behind. We are going to have him completely bound. Then chuck him in any random room."

Hamakaze frowned as the Destroyer Prince was taken away. What Miyagawa said tugged at her mind. Why didn't the Destroyer Prince look anything like the Destroyer Princess? In fact, this Abyssal didn't look undead like other Abyssals she saw. It is just as aggressive as any other Abyssal, however. Then and again, any put through the same things as him would lash out violently.

"Come on," Miyagawa said, "time to have something to eat."

* * *

Ryanyy growled angrily as the heavy cruisers and battleship muscled him into a room in the base. The shipgirls chatted in their ear grating language as they tied his hands behind his back and feet together. Then they wrapped a fishing net around him.

"Stupid fucking bitches," he hissed, "as soon are you are all out of sight, imma gonna break out. No stupid net and rope are gonna hold down a Soviet ship. Even NATO bitches doesn't fuck around with us."

The shipgirls seemed pleased that he was held down, because they then left the room. Ryanyy smirked. The destroyer had his rigging activated the whole time, meaning the ropes went over it was well. Ryanyy dissipated his rigging, causing the ropes and fishing net to slack.

Now with more room, Ryanyy is free to move about. When the cruisers and battleship tied him up, they didn't do a proper job. They merely wrapped the fishing net and rope around him instead of actually tying him down. Now without his rigging, the space is sufficient for Ryanyy to slip out.

* * *

"Fascinating," Zria said, "Ochakov's mobile phone is on land right now. On an island called Hegura-jima. I thought it would be abandoned by now. It must be a Japanese shipgirl base."

"Dafuq is Ryanyy doing in a shipgirl base?" asked Ochakov

"You know what? " Kirov said, "I say we send in a group of marines to the islands to search for him."

"And create an international incident?" asked Ochakov, "Hegura-jima Island is Japanese territory."

"They are holding one of our ships in a Naval base," Kirov said, "and Ryanyy was in Russian waters when he was dragged into Japanese territory. They started this. And if push comes to shove, shipgirls can't stop ballistic missiles. In a conventional war, we have the advantage."

* * *

Hamakaze and Urakaze sneaked out of the cafeteria and headed to the room Ryanyy is kept in. The former carried a tray with rice and curry while the latter carried a huge metal stick.

"Um," Urakaze asked, "is this really a good idea? Feeding an Abyssal? What if the Admiral find out?"

"Well," Hamakaze replied, "not really. But I think we should at least pacify its anger."

"Do Abyssals even eat?" asked Urakaze.

"Let's find out," Hamakaze answered, "ah, we're here."

As she reached out to open the door, Urakaze grabbed her hand, "If anything happens, I am going to break this stick over his head."

"You worry too much," Hamakaze pushed open the door, "I am sure he won't bite the hand that feeds him.

* * *

 **I dunno, Hamakaze. I'd be pretty pissed off if some random foreigners kidnapped me, took me to an island a few hundred kilometres away and then wrapped me up in fishing nets and rope and then tried to buy me over with a little bit of food.**


	13. Docile or Deceptive

**Docile or Deceptive**

"Now, Kirov," Marx said, "let's not be hasty. Humanity is already fighting a war against the Abyssals. The last thing we want is internal strife. This should be solved through diplomacy."

"Or a combination of both," Yakubov said, "how about we give the Japanese and their Western allies a surprise?"

"Oh?" Kirov asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"You'll see," Yakubov smirked, "you'll see."

* * *

"Alright," Ryanyy grinned as he began the slow and tedious task of getting out of the rope, "the great Ryanyy makes his great escape."

The door of the shed creaked open.

"Eh?" the destroyer blurted.

In the doorway stood the white haired girl and one who looked like her sister or other relative. The white haired girl entered, carrying a tray. As she came closer Ryanyy could see the food on the plate. It looked like diarrhea on rice and it smelt spicy and offensive.

"Damn you, bitches," he cursed, "I will teach you a lesson as soon as I get loose. You don't treat Red Fleet guys like shit and get away with it."

* * *

"Hello," Hamakaze said, her voice shaking a little, "I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some curry. Umm, this is the standard curry for the Japanese navy. Um, so, you want some?"

The Destroyer Prince looked at her, unimpressed.

"This is delicious," Hamakaze continued, "have some."

The Destroyer Prince continued giving her the fish-eye stare.

"Come on," Hamakaze coaxed, taking a spoonful of curry and rice and pushing closer to the Destroyer Prince's mouth.

The sound of distant thunder sounded in her ears. Hamakaze looked out a window. She frowned, because there were no storm clouds in the sky. Then and again, the sound isn't exactly like thunder. It is more like a cross between a growl and a hiss. It was scary and menacing, however. Looking down at Destroyer Prince, Hamakaze noticed that he was making the noise.

"Ah," she said, "you don't like the taste of this?"

She puts the spoon into her own mouth.

"Eh, I think it is pretty good."

* * *

Ryanyy made a face of horror. The girl actually ate the brown runny shit. What the hell is up with foreign shipgirls? The girl looked pleased with herself and licked her lips. She then proceeded to say something he did not understand and picked up another spoon of the stuff. And pushed it to his mouth.

Ryanyy turned his head away and growled again. The girl clearly wasn't going to take that, because she kept on pushing the spoon to him.

Resigning to his fate, Ryanyy turned back to the girl. He tentatively licked the brown stuff off the rice. Surprisingly, despite its looks, it didn't taste like shit. Ryanyy then takes a careful bite and swallows.

* * *

"I'm making history," Hamakaze said to herself, "I am interacting with an Abyssal in a non-violent way."

"Urakaze," she called out to her sister, "come in."

"How is it going?" Urakaze asked.

"He's pretty harmless now," Hamakaze replied, "see? He's eating the curry."

"Man," Urakaze rests her stick on her shoulder, "I wish all Abyssals could be tamed with a bit of food…WHAT THE?"

"Huh?" Hamakaze recoiled.

"He's freed his hands!"

* * *

Indeed, the destroyer managed to free his hands. That is how he took the bowl from Hamakaze's tray. The food was actually quite good.

When Ryanyy looked up, he almost dropped the rice and curry. The blue haired girl entered the room, her stick high above her head, ready to come crashing down on his.

* * *

Hamakaze grabbed Urakaze's arm.

"Sis!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"He freed himself," Urakaze replied, "so he might hurt you."

Hamakaze pointed to Destroyer Prince, who returned to feeding, and said, "Really?"

"He could be pretending," Urakaze said, "just to make us drop our guard."

Hamakaze sighed and looked back at the Destroyer Prince, "You won't do that, right?"

She then reached out and patted the Destroyer Prince on the head. The Abyssal didn't respond.

"See?" Hamakaze looked back at her sister, "He is pretty calm right now."

"For an Abyssal," Urakaze remarked, "he is pretty damn docile."

"Pretty cute too," Hamakaze added, "can we keep him?"

* * *

Miyagawa was sitting in his office with Myoukou when he heard a knock on the door. The Admiral is busy doing paperwork, reporting the progress of the main strike fleet.

"Come in," he said.

Hamakaze and Urakaze entered, with the Destroyer Prince behind him. The other shipgirls of the base followed wonder what is going on.

"What the FUCK!" Miyagawa stood up, "Why is that fucking Abyssal in here? I thought I ordered you to tie him up and lock him up!"

"His rigging was activated when you tied him up, right?" asked Urakaze.

"Yes," Myoukou nodded, "and I see that he deactivated it."

"Given the size of his rigging," Hamakaze added, "it was simple for him to get out when he dissipated it. But you see? He is harmless."

"Is that so?" Miyagawa eyed the Destroyer Prince suspiciously, "But how do you know he is not pretending?"

"Aww," Hamakaze put her arms around the Destroyer Prince's neck, "come on, he too cute to be vicious. He was aggressive before because we mistreated him. He is pretty docile."

"Or pretty deceptive," Miyagawa said, "I don't trust Abyssals. But then and again, they don't exhibit the intelligence needed to deceive so…I don't know."

* * *

Ryanyy didn't say anything, because he was too busy enjoying Hamakaze's hug.

"хорошо…" he muttered under his breath as he put his arm around Hamakaze as well.

* * *

"Hmm?" Urakaze said, "What did the Abyssal say? It sounded familiar."

"Uh," Hamakaze said, "you're right."

She tried pulling away from the Destroyer Prince, but he wouldn't let go.

"He isn't letting go," Hamakaze sweatdropped, "hey buddy, I appreciate your sentiment, but please release me now. We are discussing something."

Myoukou simply walked up to the duo, raised her right arms and brought her hand down in a karate chop. Right onto the Abyssals head. The Destroyer Prince twitched a few times before he fell back onto the ground.

"Freakin pervert. Never too young to be one," Myoukou muttered disapprovingly, "Oh, you were saying something?"

"Uh," Urakaze sweatdropped, "that Abyssal said Korosho or something. I hear Harutsuki say it a lot."

"Yeah," Miyagawa said, "and Hibiki too. They said it meant good or okay in Russian."

An awkward silence falls upon the group.

"Ha ha," Miyagawa said, "ah, this kid is the _Abyssal form_ of a returned Soviet ship, not the returned Soviet ship itself, right?"

Nobody replied, but they all looked nervous.

"Okay," Urakaze said, "fine, someone contact Harutsuki or Hibiki and ask them to translate this kid's words."

* * *

Sasebo Naval base is home to six Akizuki-class destroyers, one of them being Harutsuki. Right now, the destroyer combined her waist length silver hair. Of the class, only she and Yoizuki had long hair, and Harutsuki took great care in maintaining it. Which is why her blue eyes brimmed with annoyance and veins popped up across her forehead when Yoizuki, who was on the computer, called out to her.

"Hey," her brunette sister said, "you are wanted."

"Tell them to wait," Harutsuki hissed, "I am busy."

"Ah," Yoizuki said, "no way. Myoukou called for you under orders of Admiral Tomoyuki Miyagawa. She is inquiring about a particular ship. Hegura-jima Forward Operating Base captured a rather weird individual. It was initially believed to be an Abyssal, but now there are suspicions that he may be a Soviet shipguy."

Harutsuki stopped completely, "So you are telling me that our friends up north may or may not have captured a shipguy belonging to the Soviet Navy. The navy that could, at its peak, give the US Navy a run for their money. From country that is doing remarkably well despite being in the middle of the war."

"If you put it that way," Yoizuki said, "so you better come here and defuse any tension which may have risen."

"Yeah," Harutsuki said as she took Yoizuki's place, "because we won't win a second Russo-Japanese War. Heck, they may even use this as leverage to send me to the Russian Pacific Fleet. And with China itching to get a hand in as well, you may end up as Chinese destroyer Fen Yang."

"At least you get Kirov," Yoizuki sighed.

* * *

A video call was set up between Sasebo and Hegura-jima at last. Harutsuki showed up on the screen.

"Ah," Miyagawa said, "hello. We would like help with-"

"The Destroyer Prince," Harutsuki said, "or a Soviet destroyer. I am hoping he is the former. Bring him to me."

* * *

Harutsuki waited until the Destroyer Prince was seated in front of the webcam.

"Hello," she said, "I am the Japanese destroyer Harutsuki of Sasebo Naval Base. Who are you?"

"I am the Soviet destroyer of the Pacific Fleet," replied the Destroyer Prince, "Ryanyy."

Harutsuki facepalmed.

"I guess he turned out to be a returned ship instead of an Abyssal?" asked Yoizuki.

Harutsuki nodded weakly. Yoizuki slumped forward and muttered, "Fuck."

Harutsuki then asked, "Well then, Ryanyy, how was your stay at Hegura-jima?"

"That's the name of the island? Well, my stay was mixed," the Soviet ship said, "it started off when two of them took me hostage and pointed a gun at my head. They threatened that if the Abyssal cruiser didn't back off, I'd get it in the head."

Harutsuki visibly paled.

"Then," Ryanyy continued, "they took me to this island. When I tried to return to Vladivostok, I was caught by the battleship and cruisers. They dragged me off to the officer. Then they wrapped a net and heavy rope around me and chucked me in this room."

Harutsuki looked like she was going to suffer a heart attack, a stroke and an epileptic attack simultaneously. Yoizuki looked at her worriedly. Whatever Ryanyy said, it sure didn't sound good.

"But," Ryanyy continued, "the white haired girl is pretty nice. She came to deliver me food and took me to the Admiral again. Without tying me up."

Harukaze came alive again. _Okay, I can still avert the war._

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, "well then. What is your impression of Hegura-jima Base? And by extension the Japanese Navy?"

"These girls are crazy," Ryanyy said, "aggressive and uncivilized. You know when the white haired girl delivered me her food, her blue haired relative carried a huge stick in her hands? And when she realized I got out of the ropes, she tried to smash it over my head! Crazy bitches, the whole lot of them. Except for the one who brought me the food. She is nice."

 _Hmm_ , Harukaze thought, _so the burden of preventing a second Russo-Japanese War is on me and Hamakaze._

* * *

Myoukou did not feel interested in the exchange, which is why she looked out the window at the sea. The heavy cruiser then heard the sound of jet engines. She frowned. Commercial flights never came anywhere near here, but military aircraft seldom did either.

Myoukou got a nasty surprise when a massive boat-airplane hybrid sailed into view from beyond the bay. After all, not many people got to see an airplane the size of a thirty story building glide across the sea like a boat. Under the moonlight, the massive aircraft glinted menacingly like a vengeful wraith and roared like a distant thunderstorm.

"Admiral," Myoukou gulped, "take a look at this."

The Admiral looked out and saw the aircraft.

"Harutsuki," he turned to the tablet Hamakaze held, "what do you make of this?"

He took the tablet and pointed it at the aircraft outside.

"Something which could change the course of our history," Harutsuki replied, "for better or worse."

* * *

 **Leave a comment regarding what you think happened and what you think will happen. And check out my Halo-Arpeggio of Blue Steel cross over, where Chihaya Gunzou takes the destroyer UNSC _Herodotus_ around the galaxy, fighting the Fog, which come as old model UNSC starships.  
**


	14. Tour de Force

**Before we start the chapter, what the hell is with the indirect kissing? Hamakaze only ate the curry first because she wanted to prove it wasn't poisoned. Where does the kissing come in? And I am concentrating on Red Fleet Resurrected to keep up with Descendants of the Dragon. The latter has twice as many chapters.**

* * *

 **Tour de Force**

"So this was your plan," Marx said, looking at the settlement from "to do a show of force, using the excuse of looking for Ryanyy."

"We are looking for the destroyer," Yakubov argued, "just showing Japan that we are a force to be reckoned with at the same time."

* * *

The _Stalingrad_ sat anchored off the coast of Hegura-jima. Captain Ochakov, Zria and two Naval Infantry. Looking at the people she shared the boat with, Zria knew that they'd be doing a lot of intimidating. Ochakov is the stereotypical vicious warlord. Despite being a decent guy, the scar on his face and battle hardened expression left over from the Battle of Okhost Sea would make many believe otherwise.

The Russian Naval Infantry gave off a "fuck you" vibe. The Tsunami-class battle armor alternated between hard plates and softer Kevlar treated with shear hardening fluids, giving protection that can only be pierced by anti-material weapons. Armed with high powered AMS amphibious battle rifles, Russian Naval Infantry are formidable foes for any opponent. Whereas the Presidential Guard demonstrated the best of Russian armor engineering, the Naval Infantry demonstrated the best of Russian man power. They are widely accepted as the only infantry unit which can fight power armored opponents toe-to-toe without using it themselves, as the US Marines found out the hard way in the Invasion of Naukan in 2023.

Naval Infantry in Tsunami-class armor on the attack are reputed to leave nothing in their wake. And for this trip, Kirov was equipped with the armor to make him look more intimidating.

The ships approached the harbor when several figures standing on the water blocked their way.

"They're here," Ochakov grinned, "Japanese shipgirls, I assume."

The Naval Infantry raised their battle rifles.

"Easy, boys," Ochakov said, "we aren't here to start the Second Russo-Japanese War."

* * *

"So," asked Myoukou, "what is that thing?"

"Harutsuki said it was an ekranoplan," the Admiral replied over the radio, "claimed the Russians experimented with quite a few of them. This one is much bigger than all previous classes, however."

"Ah," Myoukou said, "I can see people approaching. A speedboat with four people and a-"

"A what?" asked the Admiral.

"A ship," Myoukou replied, "so it seems that the rumors were true."

"Rumors?" asked Ashigara, "So you thought Admiral Yoshimura and the Russian media were high on crack?"

"Well," Myoukou answered, "every single ship which returned, regardless of class, type or nationality, came back in the female form. The same applied to Abyssals. I assumed it was a publicity stunt. Our neighbors to the west pull a lot of those."

The boat and shipguy drew closer, but slowed down to a stop.

"Russians," Urakaze said, "the Naval Infantry at that."

"Man," Ashigara facepalmed, "if they were Abyssals, we'd sink their sorry asses. But what do we do against humans with hostile intentions?"

"Sink them," Arashi smirked, "and raise a storm!"

"A storm that will blow back to us," Urakaze interrupted, "and utterly wreck our asses. I ain't gonna commit war crimes today."

* * *

"We're being stopped by the Japanese," Ochakov said into a radio, "we are awaiting further orders."

Zria stood up on the boat, causing it occupants to look at her. Even Kirov turned from eyeing up the Japanese strength to face her.

"Hello," she said in accented English, "we are here to look for something."

The Japanese didn't respond immediately. But one by one they turned to face Myoukou, who talked into her radio.

* * *

"Admiral," Myoukou said, "we have a bunch of Russians in a boat. Two of them are armed and armored. A Russian shipguy. The Russian ship guy, I meant. The cruiser Yoshimura spoke of. They spoke English."

"Let them in," Miyagawa said, "I shall speak with them. Your grasp of the language is insufficient."

Myoukou nodded and turned to the Russians. She nodded at them before saying to Ashigara, Urakaze and Arashi, "We're pulling back. Admiral's orders."

The shipgirl nod in understanding and turn back.

* * *

"The Japanese are retreating," Ochakov said, "shall we follow?"

"It is best to keep things civilized," Marx said, "follow them."

"Yes sir," Ochakov said.

"And one more thing," Yakubov added, "keep an eye on the girl. Watch her words and actions. She believes she can compete with you for the position of commander. Let us know if she genuinely has talent or is just plain bullshitting."

"That will be done," Ochakov replied, "sir."

The boat and Kirov followed the Japanese, entering the harbor. Ochakov steered the boat to a pier. The soldiers and Zria disembark. One of the soldiers moor the boat to the pier. Kirov follows the Japanese to the edge of the harbor and walks onto land. The Japanese shipgirls eye him suspiciously. Except for Ashigara. The heavy cruiser looked at him with an expression of cautious interest.

Ochakov, Zria and the soldiers caught up with him.

* * *

To the Japanese girls, it was a strange sight. To think that a man in Naval Infantry armor is actually a ship instead of that girl in casual dress. Then and again, perhaps she is a ship too. A heavy cruiser, or maybe a battleship. The vicious looking old guy with the nasty scar must be the Admiral.

Myoukou heard footsteps behind her, approaching slowly. Turning around, she sees Admiral Miyagawa and Ise.

"Ladies," he said, "leave the rest to me."

The Japanese nodded and stood down. Miyagawa then looked back to the Russians. He cleared his throat before asking in English, "Well then, what brings the Russian military here? In a brand new ship at that. Here for a cup of tea?"

The girl smirked as she walked forward, "Oh, Mr Japanese Admiral, you have such a sense of humor. I think all of us know why we Russians decided to turn up at Hegura-jima. You see, we came here looking for something. A young boy, blonde hair, blue eyes, about this high."

 _Shit_ , Miyagawa cursed, _so Harutsuki wasn't kidding when she said we captured a Soviet ship. She wasn't kidding when she said they'd be pissed off either._

"He is a returned ship," Zria continued, "a Gnevny-class destroyer of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, Ryanyy. Our tracking devices showed that he was moved to approximately this position. We don't want trouble. As soon as we pick him up, we will return to Vladivostok."

"For a shipgirl," Miyagawa said, "you have an awful lot of authority. What are you? A heavy cruiser? A battleship?"

Zria smirked again, "I am no returned ship. I am a human. A soon-to-be commander of the first Russian shipguy fleet."

"Someone as young as you?" Miyagawa laughed, "Unless you have the brain power of Jun Kadawa, you aren't going to do well."

He looked up and down the young woman, "And a pretty, helpless lady in surrounded with testosterone charged men?"

The Admiral gestured at the Naval Infantry, Captain Ochakov and Kirov, "You sound like you are putting yourself in danger."

"And you sound like you are putting _yourself_ in danger," Zria countered, "and you are putting the security of your country in danger. Shipgirls cannot activate their rigging while on land, and while their rigging is not active, they're human."

She said something in Russian. Ochakov said something else and the Naval Infantry raised their guns to forty five degrees.

"Of course," Zria starts walking forward, "we are not here to start a war. Nobody wants internal strife when we are already engaged with an enemy that can keep the entire military of mankind locked ashore. We are just going to search this island for Ryanyy, starting with your naval base. Do you object?"

"No," Miyagawa shook his head as he said, "in fact, Ryanyy is in the base. Please take him with you. He is rather unwelcome."

"And just so you know," she said as she passed the Admiral, "I like to have jam and lemon juice in my tea."

* * *

"Ochakov," Marx's voice sounded in Ochakov's radio, "how are things going?"

"I don't understand everything they said," Ochakov replied, "but I know enough to tell you this. That Sotnikov girl has bigger balls than half my old unit put together. She convinced the Japanese Admiral to let us search their base using something between gentle reasoning and threat of war. I like her. She had a father in the navy who died?"

"Yes," Marx replied, "we did a bit of a background check. Her father is Senior Lieutenant Boris Sotnikov. Was, I mean."

"Then I am not surprised," Ochakov laughed, "because she is exactly like him. Well, time to go. We ain't letting a little lady do everything."

* * *

A little while later, the group entered the Naval Base. Admiral Miyagawa walked at the front, followed by the Russians. The Japanese shipgirls remained at the back.

"So, Admiral," Zria asked, "you said that Ryanyy is unwelcome. I take it that he has been causing trouble?"

"Kind of," Miyagawa said, "he looks like a child, but has the instincts of an old man. He has taken a special liking to Hamakaze, which none of us are enthusiastic about."

He pushes open the door, revealing a Ryanyy with Hamakaze and Urakaze clinging onto him. Ryanyy held onto the tablet, which he used to communicate with Harutsuki.

"What the FUCK!?" the Russians and Japanese exclaimed in their respective languages.

* * *

 _I am in Paradise,_ Ryanyy thought as he talked to the Japanese destroyers, using Harutsuki as interpreter, _man, I almost want to stay._

"RYYAAAAANNNNNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" an all too familiar voice bellowed.

A chill ran down his spine as he recognized the voice of Kirov. Looking up, he almost jumped out of his skin. Kirov stood before him, clad in some kind of full body battle armor, cracking his knuckles. The Japanese and Russians behind him blocked their ears.

"Ah," he said, "hello Kirov."

"Hello to you too, you little shit," Kirov hissed, "we thought you were KIA on your expedition. You told us that you won't be long. Next thing we knew, you ended up in Japan! Now you are hanging with these sluts?"

"Let me explain," Ryanyy stuttered, growing nervous under the withering glare of the Soviet heavy cruiser, "I was dragged here against my will..."

"Is that so?" Kirov raised an eyebrow, "Who is it you are talking to?"

Before Ryanyy could respond, Kirov stepped to him and snatched the tablet out of his hands.

* * *

Harutsuki was confused when Ryanyy disappeared from view and was replaced by an older male.

"Harutsuki?" he asked.

"Yes," Harutsuki replied, "and you are?"

"Soviet cruiser Kirov," the man replied, "and I have a question. Ryanyy claimed he was dragged here by the Japanese. Is it true?"

Harutsuki was about to say yes and apologize when an evil plan crossed her mind. Why take the blame and possibly suffer bad consequences when she can just put the blame on Ryanyy? It wouldn't matter if Ryanyy claimed he was dragged here. It was his word against the word of all the Japanese shipgirls in the base, if they were smart enough to play along.

"Dragged here?" Harutsuki exclaimed, pretending to look shocked, "No! That clown of a ship came here on his own, following Hamakaze and Arashi. We mistook him for a docile Abyssal and made attempts to domesticate him. We did not kidnap him."

"Thank you," Kirov smiled as he gave the tablet to Miyagawa before shouting, "RYANYY YOU LYING LITTLE SHIT! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS BACK TO VLADIVOSTOK!"

* * *

 **Oh boy, Ryanyy's position is not one I want to be in. But how long will Harutsuki's lie last? And if it were to be exposed, what would happen to Russo-Japanese relations?**


	15. Reunion of Brothers

**Reunion of Brothers**

"What?" Ryanyy blurted.

Before he could register Kirov's words in his head, the cruiser leapt forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Hamakaze and Urakaze yelped as they jumped aside, fearing Kirov's wrath. Ise, Myoukou and Ashigara tensed, ready to fight if things get ugly.

"You said you were dragged here, yes?" Kirov hissed, "Well Harutsuki said you came here on your own!"

"I call bullshit!" Ryanyy argued.

Kirov lifted the destroyer a metre off the ground, "Really? What have you got to say for yourself?"

"I was dragged here by the white hair girl and her friend!" Ryanyy shouted, "Honest to God!"

"Is everything alright?" asked Miyagawa nervously, "Your cruiser seems a bit…excited."

"Yeah," Zria said, "we've got the little rascal. He will be disciplined according to military law. We will be on our way very soon."

Kirov continued interrogating Ryanyy, never letting his feet touch the ground, "So you claim you were dragged here? I highly doubt that. You _Gnevny_ class are capable of 38 knots. As Ochakov said, you can outrun most things on the ocean. If you didn't want to get caught, you can't be."

"It's a long story," Ryanyy replied, "but can you put me down?"

Kirov releases his grip and Ryanyy drops onto the ground, faceplanting onto the tiled surface. The Japanese wince at the splat sound the destroyer made. Is this Russian standard procedure? This would be classified as abuse under Japanese laws regarding the treatment of shipgirls. Hamakaze was particularly angry. Whatever happened, the heavy cruiser seemed really pissed off, but it doesn't justify this sort of treatment.

"Kirov," Ochakov complained, "you could have broken my phone."

"Ugh," Ryanyy rolled over and sat up, rubbing his head, "okay, I'll explain."

So Ryanyy went on to explain everything that happened, including the Heavy Cruiser Prince.

"Heavy Cruiser Prince, you say?" Kirov raised an eyebrow, "Three triple turrets with slow rate of fire?"

"The Abyssal version of you, I assume?" asked Ochakov.

"No," Kirov shook his head, "I never dipped my toes in the Pacific."

Meanwhile Ryanyy tried to sneak out around the Russian while they speculated about the Heavy Destroyer Prince. But an armored hand reached out and grabbed him by his collar. Ryanyy turned around to see a Naval Infantry soldier.

"Don't fucking budge," the armored soldier said, "you won't get away scot-free."

A chill ran down Ryanyy's spine. If they went by Soviet military law and he actually gets charged with defection, desertion or even treason, he is seriously fucked.

An alarm suddenly went off briefly. Myoukou rushed back to the computer.

"Admiral!" she exclaimed, "We have a large Abyssal coming this way! ETA five minutes!"

"What is it?" asked Miyagawa.

"A Heavy Cruiser Princess," Myoukou said, before looking up, "or maybe that Heavy Cruiser Prince?"

"It better be a real Heavy Cruiser Princess this time," Miyagawa said sternly, "the last thing we want is for it to be a Soviet cruiser shipg…uy."

"What is the commotion?" asked Zria.

"An Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Princess is inbound," Miyagawa said, "expected to get here in five minutes."

Zria translated that to Russian and told the others. Ochakov then conveyed the message to Marx and Yakubov. The reply was short and sharp.

"Fight," Yakubov had said, "keep the Abyssal away from the _Stalingrad_. And let the Japanese know that the difference between the Soviet Navy and the Imperial Russian Navy they defeated in the Battle of Tsushima."

"Boys," Ochakov said, "orders came from above. We're gonna fight."

"Ooh," Ryanyy pulls free from the Naval Infantry, "play time."

"Give me back my phone," Ochakov said, "before you break it."

Ryanyy takes out the phone from his pocket and hands it back to Ochakov.

"By the way," he asked, "why is there a password screen when I turn your phone on?"

"Um," Ochakov replied, "so little rats like you won't use it as their own and waste money."

"Okay," Ryanyy nodded, before asking, "why is the background image of you chugging a bottle of vodka while giving the middle finger?"

"A reminder of my younger days when I kicked ass and gave no shits about what others thought of me," Ochakov snapped, "now go and kick Abyssal butt!"

Ochakov shouted and order and the Russians retreated.

"Well then, Mr. Admiral," Zria said, "I guess there was no time for tea today. Maybe next time."

She then runs out after the navy personnel.

"Admiral," Myoukou said, "who should we send?"

"Since you all returned and haven't resupplied yet," Miyagawa said, "I want all of you to go. Overwhelm the Abyssal with sheer numbers."

* * *

The Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Prince steamed due south after encountering land on his eastward journey. He moved around aimlessly, not knowing where to go. A few other Abyssals encountered him and tried to take command over him. The Heavy Cruiser Prince did not like that at all and promptly sank the foolish Abyssals that tried.

As he approached an island, several bright objects lit up the night. Looking up, the Heavy Cruiser Prince sees several burning objects slowly descend from the sky, slowed down by parachutes. He lost interest before he could figure out what they were. Until shells fell out of the sky and exploded all around him less than a minute later. The Abyssal snarled as he looked around.

* * *

"Holy shit," Ashigara said, "that Russian fired at this range?"

Indeed, Kirov's 180mm B-1-Ps had a maximum range 38 kilometres. Even scaled down, the guns have a comfortable advantage over the Japanese 20cm/50 3rd Year Type guns on the Myoukou class cruisers, which had a maximum range of 29 kilometres. In actual combat, the distance at which the ships fired at each other is much shorter, and this applied to the shipgirls as well. Kirov's shots were merely warning shots, signaling to the enemy that he/she has already entered his firing range. He hadn't even seen the enemy.

"Not a single shell hit," Myoukou said, "so it isn't that impressive. Not bad for a ship by a bunch of drunk barbarians."

But the enemy must returned fire, because shells splashed down all around them. The destroyers screamed as they waterspouts erupted all around them. Fortunately, no one was hit.

* * *

"Captain," he radioed the _Stalingrad_ , "permission to break formation from the Japanese and to engage the Abyssal?"

"Negative," Marx replied, "the Abyssal is suspected to be the Abyssal form of _Kaganovich._ Abyssal forms of a ship is far stronger than the shipgirl form. You and Ryanyy won't stand a chance."

"Hmph," Kirov snorted, "what are we going to do, wait for it to come within the range of our guns?"

"Watch the movements of the Japanese," Marx ordered, "and never go in front of them. For a cruiser, you suffer from light armor and a very slow rate of fire, like a battleship."

"Acknowledged," Kirov replied, "awaiting further orders."

* * *

"Admiral," Ise transmitted back to base, "according to my radar there appears to be no other Abyssals except for the Heavy Cruiser Princess. Or Prince, if what the girls said was true. Actually, are you sure it's an Abyssal this time instead of a lost ship?"

"Certain," the Admiral replied, "the radar signature is definitely that of an Abyssal."

"And he has no friends?" asked Ise.

"On his own," the Admiral said, "unless he has submarines."

"Hmm," Ise lowered her head and rubbed her chin, "I wonder."

"About what?" asked Myoukou.

"If we can just rush him and overwhelm him with sheer numbers," Ise said, "after all, we have one aviation battleship, two heavy cruisers and seven destroyers. And the Russian destroyer and heavy cruiser."

"Heh, heh," Ashigara cackled, "we may even take him alive!"

"Sister," Myoukou said calmly, "you're drooling."

Ashigara came to and wiped her mouth, "I wasn't thinking of anything nasty."

"Sure you weren't…" Ise said slowly before asking again, "Admiral, your orders?"

"Very well," the Admiral replied, "rush him."

"Zeeeeeerrrrrgggg ruuuuuuush!" Arashi shouted as she pushed her boilers to maximum output.

Arashi, Hamakaze, Urakaze, Maikaze, Tokitsukaze and Tanikaze charged forward in line ahead formation, while Shiranui, Myoukou, Ashigara and Ise followed, also in line ahead formation. Ryanyy and Kirov followed behind.

* * *

The Heavy Cruiser Prince continued heading south until several objects suddenly lit up the night. Squinting at the objects, he realized that they were flares of some sort. But before he could figure out what they were for, shells fell out of the sky. A mix of 30cm and 20cm high explosive shells explode all around him. His red energy barrier flared as it absorbed the damage. Both he and his body extensions hissed savagely, saliva spraying out of the latter. A beam of bright light then washed over the cruiser. Six destroyers approached him at high speed, one of them using a searchlight.

Volleys of shells battered the Heavy Cruiser Prince, exploding against the Abyssal barrier. Snarling angrily, the Abyssal maxed out its engine output and headed straight towards the incoming fleet.

* * *

"Crap," Arashi swore, "this one isn't being intimidated by our numbers. Girls, torps free!"

"Um, I don't have torpedoes," Tanikaze, who is behind her and used the search light, said.

"Neither," Hamakaze said, "only depth charge projectors."

"Ah, fuck," Arashi said, "does anyone have torpedoes handy?"

"I do!" Tokitsukaze exclaimed.

"Then use them!" Arashi said, "Our guns won't do crap to an Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Prince!"

"16th Destroyer Division," Tokitsukaze said as she aimed her torpedo tubes, "Attack!"

Four 61cm torpedoes shot out of the tubes and splashed into the water before streaking towards the Abyssal. Caught off guard, the Heavy Cruiser Prince takes two of four hits. Massive explosions erupt from the water, reflecting the red glow of the Abyssal barrier which flared again. But the Abyssal maintained his speed and course.

"He isn't slowing down!" Hamakaze shouted, "What now?"

"Shoot the little prick!" Arashi snapped, "What else? The mighty 4th Destroyer Division, coming through! Eat this!"

12.7 cm rounds shoot from the fast firing guns of the six destroyers and pummel the Abyssal. But while the barrier is weakening, the resolve of the Heavy Cruiser Prince obviously isn't.

"Crap!" Urakaze shouted as the Abyssal approached at high speed, "we're on a-"

She didn't finish, because the Heavy Cruiser Prince opened fire at the destroyer flotilla with his 180mm guns. The powerful shells smashed through the fleet, six of them scoring hits on Arashi, Hamakaze and Urakaze. Tokitsukaze screamed terror as the Heavy Cruiser Prince plowed right into the formation in a ramming attack. Arashi collided with the Abyssal while Hamakaze and Urakaze piled onto her before managing to stop. The entire flotilla was ground to a halt and the formation was broken up. However, the Abyssal's energy barrier finally broke down in a spectacular shattering motion.

"Tch! What's with you doing as you please..." Arashi grunted, "however... I haven't sunk yet!"

The Heavy Cruiser Prince didn't care, because he grabbed Arashi by her skirt with one hand and her arm with another.

"Eh?" was all Arashi could get out before the Heavy Cruiser Prince flung her over his shoulder in one swift move.

The destroyer was sent flying into Hamakaze with enough force to send her stumbling back into Urakaze.

"Goddammit!" Arashi swore as she fell onto the water, "What the hell was that?"

"You monster!" Tanikaze exclaimed as she tried to circle around the Abyssal. But the body extension turned to face her and unloaded three 180mm shells at near point blank range.

Tanikaze gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. But the slug-like thing wasn't done with her. Almost as if operating independently from the Heavy Cruiser Prince, it then bit down on Tanikaze's right shoulder with its powerful jaws, it teeth ripping into her flesh. Tanikaze screamed as she struggled to break free.

"Hey comrade," a voice said in Russian from behind the Abyssal, "what kind of a monster picks on little girls?"

The next thing the Abyssal knew, a powerful kick impacted him at the base of his skull. Tanikaze was dropped and Tokitsukaze immediately came to her assistance. Nine shells then exploded against his spine.

"You have been a naughty little brother," the speaker, Kirov, said as the Heavy Cruiser Prince turned to face him, "comrade Kaganovich."

The Heavy Cruiser Prince roared angrily as his other body extension shot forward, drool running from the jaws. Kirov stepped aside and grabbed it with both hands. He leaned back as the Abyssal tried to pull back the extension and landed a powerful kick under its ribs.

"Or are you the Abyssal form of Kalinin?" Kirov asked, "Doesn't matter. Attempting to assault an older sibling is absolutely unacceptable. I think you need some discipline."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryanyy carried Tanikaze on her shoulder while Urakaze and Hamakaze leaned onto Maikaze and Tokitsukaze as they limped away from battle. Ashigara, Myoukou and Ise headed toward the battle..

"Will Kirov be okay?" Tanikaze asked Ryanyy.

The destroyer did not respond but handed her over to Ise. He nodded at the aviation battleship before turning around and speeding towards Kirov and Heavy Cruiser Prince

* * *

The dueling Soviet cruisers, one shipguy and other Abyssal, stared each other down. The Abyssal Heavy Cruiser Prince obviously has the advantage, being a Princess level Abyssal and all.

"So," Kirov asked, "who are you?"

The Abyssal responded with an angry hiss before swinging at Kirov. Kirov ducked down, but several explosions knocked the Heavy Cruiser Prince off balance, so the fist smashed right into his face anyway.

"Oh yeah!" Ryanyy laughed, "Three direct torp hits. Praise the Ryanyy!"

He stopped talking when he saw Kirov holding a bleeding nose and glaring at him angrily.

"Ha, ha," Ryanyy laughed, nervously this time, "maybe not?"

Ashigara and Myoukou glided past him, their 20.3cm guns unleashing a volley of shells at the Abyssal. Every shot hit home, further chipping away the Heavy Cruiser Prince's combat capabilities. The Heavy Cruiser Prince turned around, confronting the Japanese heavy cruisers and Soviet destroyer.

* * *

"Hmm," Ashigara said, "he ain't half bad looking. He'll make a good comfort man."

"Didn't know you had a monster boy fetish," Myoukou replied, "or that you like younger looking men."

The Heavy Cruiser Prince prepared to attack the Japanese, but three 533mm torpedoes impacted him from behind.

* * *

"Don't take your eye off your opponent," Kirov said as he readied the final shot, "and in case you have forgotten, that is ME."

Nine more 180mm shells hit the cruiser from behind, sealing its doom. The Heavy Cruiser Prince floundered, but managed to utter a phrase, "You…Ryanyy…traitors."

"What?" demanded Kirov, "Explain."

"The destroyer was kidnapped," he said, "yet both of you joined them."

"Huh?" Kirov said, "Kidnapped? How?"

His question wasn't answered, because a final volley finished him off, sending him to the bottom of the ocean.

* * *

"It's done," Ashigara transmitted back to base, "the Heavy Cruiser Prince has been destroyed. And man, it was a tough fight. He was one savage Abyssal, preferring to use his body to fight in close combat. Kirov is just as savage, but I find that awesome in a way."

"Good job," Miyagawa said, "come back to base."

* * *

Inside the command centre of _Stalingrad_ , Zria, Ochakov, Marx and Yakubov are engaged in a conversation.

"Hmm," Zria said, "so Ryanyy was telling the truth."

"Indeed," Ochakov added, "but it did come from an Abyssal. Is he telling the truth?"

"Kirov said the Abyssal told him Ryanyy was kidnapped," Zria said, "and that would mean he really was manhandled by the Japanese."

"We almost put him through Soviet military law," Marx said, "which wouldn't have ended well for Ryanyy."

"The Japanese could have admitted that they saw Ryanyy as a novelty object and took him back to base to study him," Zria said, "but they lied. We could have wrongly executed our first returned destroyer."

"Shall we pay the Admiral another visit?" asked a Naval Infantry.

The officers smirked, "A really quick one before we leave."


	16. Two Lies

**Two Lies**

Miyagawa breathed a sigh of relief. The Heavy Cruiser Prince has been annihilated. Although several destroyers have taken damage, the outcome was better than he expected. After sending the destroyers to the docks, he asked for a report from Myoukou.

"The girls did well," the Admiral said, "against an enemy of that caliber. But you said Kirov did a decent chunk of the work?"

"By the time he entered combat," Myoukou replied, "the Abyssal has lost its energy barrier. But from that point on, he did most of the fighting."

"And what do you think of the cruiser?" asked Miyagawa.

Myoukou looked at him seriously before replying, "He took on the Heavy Cruiser Prince in close combat, where the superior firepower of the Abyssal would be mostly negated. And at such close ranges, it is difficult for the Abyssal to use its body extensions effectively. But the actual fight between the Soviet and the Abyssal was violent and brutal."

"He took on a Princess-level Abyssal in close combat?" Miyagawa exclaimed before calming down, "Then he is like Tenryuu, Tatsuta and Kiso?"

Myoukou shook her head, "Not at all. While the girls use bladed weapons in sophisticated martial art forms, the Soviet uses his fists and feet in brutal blows to the weak spots of the Abyssal. Particularly targeting the regions where we expect the organs to be. But credit to where credit is due, he delivered blunt blows which can damage the interior of ships whereas the blades of our girls would simply make shallow cuts."

"Ah, physics," Miyagawa said, "speaking of the Russians, have they gone?"

Tokitsukaze came crashing through the door before slamming it shut. She then leaned back on the door, appearing to try and keep it shut.

"The Russians are coming!" she yapped, "The Russians are coming!"

"What?" Miyagawa stood up, "Why? I thought they would be gone with Ryanyy."

"Ohhhhh, Mr. Miyagawa," Zria's voice sounded in English, "open up."

"Fuck," Miyagawa muttered to himself in Japanese before answering in English, "what do you want?"

"Just a quick testimony," Zria said, "so let us in."

The Admiral sighed. Zria reminded him of Tatsuta. Beautiful and demure on the outside but borderline psychopathic on the inside. Some of his fellow Admiral love girls like that. Personally, he preferred girls like Myoukou, which is why the Heavy Cruiser had a ring on her finger.

"Okay," Miyagawa said, "Tokitsukaze, let them in."

The destroyer let out a long whine before opening the door. Zria stood outside, smiling. Kirov and Ryanny flanked her. Tokitsukaze breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the Naval Infantry didn't come with them.

"Hello again," she said, "just one question. How did Ryanyy end up in Japanese waters?"

"Why do you ask me?" asked Miyagawa, "I wasn't the one who brought him here and the girls didn't tell me."

"Well then," Zria continued, "can you please do us a favor and tell us how Ryanyy got here? Or get your girls to tell me. Kirov told me that, according to Harutsuki, Ryanyy came here of his own accord, chasing after Hamakaze and Arashi, whoever they are. And given his spirited nature, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the truth."

"But it sounds like you are having doubts about Harutsuki's testimony," Miyagawa said, "which is why you are asking us."

"Indeed," Zria said, "the Heavy Cruiser Prince claimed that Ryanyy was kidnapped and that Kirov and Ryanyy are traitors for turning against him. So, Mr. Admiral, was Ryanyy kidnapped? Or did he come here?"

"Does it matter?" Miyagawa asked.

"Yes," Zria replied, "because he will be put on trial by the military court. He is either a delinquent who deserted his mission, or was kidnapped and taken here, and how he will be sentenced will depend on your testimonies."

Miyagawa remained silent. The Russians are truly odd. They are willing to put a new destroyer through a court, as if he was a real human. The only time that happened to a Japanese ship was when Yuubari got in trouble for experimenting with white phosphorous. And even then, she got away with a lecture.

"Well then," Miyagawa said to Tokitsukaze, "get me Hamakaze and Arashi. Or whoever isn't in the docks right now."

The young destroyer nodded before running out of the room.

* * *

A little while later, Tokitsukaze returned with Hamakaze.

"Hamakaze," Miyagawa said, "the Russians here are curious as to how Ryanyy ended up here. Harutsuki said Ryanyy came here of his own accord, but the Heavy Cruiser Prince claimed that he was captured and taken here."

Hamakaze gulped. Harutsuki's lie deflected blame from Arashi to Ryanyy himself. It is understandable, because when Arashi dragged Ryanyy back to the island, she already created an international incident. This isn't simply taking a Russian citizen or even a Russian political or military leader. This is a shipguy, a member of Russia's nascent returned ship squadron.

Should the truth that Arashi captured Ryanyy, held him at cannon point _and_ fired on him get out, the fallout would be immense. Arashi would get into really deep trouble. It is an unspoken law that sabotaging the returned ship forces of any nation is considered treason against humanity, given they are the only effective weapon against Abyssals. The international condemnation would be overwhelming.

Fortunately, only she, Arashi, Harutsuki and Heavy Cruiser Prince knows the truth. Heavy Cruiser Prince has been eliminated, but clearly not before telling the Russians what happened. However, should the Japanese choose to side with Harutsuki's lie, it's their word against Ryanyy and the Abyssals. Ryanyy would be the scapegoat.

Needless to say, if she chose to continue with Harutsuki's lie and it was discovered, things would get _much_ worse. Especially if the truth is discovered _after_ Ryanyy gets punished. The Russian government will be pissed off, as would the Russian Defense Force, the Russian returned ships (if more have been summoned), the Russians in general and fangirls of returned Soviet warships. Arguably, the last group is the most dangerous group.

On the other hand, if they told the truth, they can turn around and ask why the Abyssal backed off when Arashi threatened Ryanyy. As a plus, they can even accuse Russia of collaborating with Abyssals.

She exhaled before looking up at the Admiral, "Admiral, the truth is what the Heavy Cruiser Prince said. I will give you the full details if you want. But what you tell the Russians is up to you. You are only one who can communicate with them, after all."

She has told the truth. It is now up to the Admiral. Pass dangerous decisions up the chain of command so if shit hits the fan and flies everywhere, it doesn't hit you.

Miyagawa nodded before turning to Zria.

"By the way," he asked, "what would his punishment be if Harutsuki told the truth?"

Zria leaned forward, "I hardly think that is a concern of yours. It is unlikely to be an on the spot execution like our Soviet days. But he might get imprisoned or a dishonorable discharge. We can equate that as a scrapping."

"On the other hand," she continued, "if Ryanyy was kidnapped…well…the Russian Navy and the Russian government understand that a shipboy is a novelty. An exotic specimen. However, should word get out that he was fired upon, shit would get ugly. So, Mr. Admiral, what is the truth? Did Ryanyy come here of his own accord? Or was he forced here?"

"He came here on his own," Miyagawa smirked, "doubtlessly chasing Hamakaze. Harutsuki's story is the right one."

"So said the Admiral of Hegura-jima," Zria said, "very well, we will be on our way."

The group turned and left the office, leaving Miyagawa wondering whether lying was a good idea.

* * *

"So what was the truth?" asked Kirov.

"The white haired girl said some stuff to the Admiral," Zria said, "and the Admiral told us that Harutsuki's story is true."

"So she lied, hm?" Kirov said.

"You think she is lying?" asked Zria.

"Yes," Kirov said, "before I doubted Ryanyy, but the Abyssal verified what he said was real."

"You trust the Abyssals over the Japanese?" asked Zria.

"Lying wouldn't do the Abyssal any good," Kirov replied, "because he'd be sunk anyway. But lying would have been beneficial for the Japanese, because they get to squirm out of any potential trouble. Ultimately, we won't know."

Zria smiled slyly as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"I recorded the entire conversation," she said, "from before we entered the officer to after we left."

Kirov smiled. This should be interesting.

"Whatever," Ryanyy growled, "I told you I wasn't lying, but none of you believed me.

"Yeah," Kirov said, "sorry about that. We'll compensate you somehow."

"About that date," Ryanyy began, "girl, would you mind-"

"No," both Kirov and Zria interrupted, "no."

"Fine," Ryanyy muttered, "give me some free time when I get back to Vladivostok. I got stuff to do."

"Sorry," Zria said, "but no. It'll be past bedtime. Which means you go to bed and sleep."

"Okay," Ryanyy smiled, "I promise you I won't be up to anything naughty."

* * *

It is midnight in Vladivostok. The _Stalingrad_ rested in the harbor. All the lights have gone out in the city and on the ekranoplan. A shady figure glides over the water, heading to shore. He is visible only as a silhouette. The figure steps onto land and dissipated the steel constructs which surrounded him. The brief glow of blue light generated by the dissipating rigging unveiled the figure as Ryanyy.

"Pfft," he muttered as the cloak of darkness covered him again, " _bed time_ , she says. Like I am some damned kid. Heck, I was only launched a year after Kirov. She don't boss him around like she does to me."

Ryanyy then snuck his way across Vladivostok.

"Damn," he muttered, "this place changed so much. It's been eighty years, after all. I wonder if I can find it?"

Eventually, at 1:30 am, Ryanyy arrives at the edge of a road. Looking around, he appeared to be satisfied.

"Here it is," he grinned mischievously.

The destroyer then summoned his fairies.

"You sure this is the spot?" asked Ryanyy.

"No doubt," the captain said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ryanyy asked rhetorically, "We dig!"

Ryanyy and his fairies proceeded to dig away at the spot. Two hours later, the ground within five metres of the spot has been dug to a depth of a metre.

"Dammit," Ryanyy cursed, "it has to be here somewhere."

Just as he was going to give up, a fairy's tiny shovel made a clunk sound. It was tiny, but Ryanyy picked it up. "It is here!" he exclaimed, "After all these years!"

He dug around the metal object, which happened to be a small crate, about the size of a 20 liter oil drum. Ryanyy smashed open the rusted lock with the swing of his shovel. He opened the lid of the crate and looked inside. Several bottles can be vaguely seen. Ryanyy's heart rate increased as he picked up one and a fairy made a light.

A green and white label with Московская in black can be seen. Under it is особая водка. Below that is 40%.

The destroyer grinned while his fairies cheered.

"Zria has no idea what she missed out on," Ryanyy licked his lips, "oh well, it means one less person to share this with."

* * *

 **Ah, another chapter is up! Hooray! And it looks like Harutsuki and Miyagawa aren't the only liars in the Sea of Japan. Just what the hell is Ryanyy up to? Well if you can read Russian, it is kinda readers have no idea how much fun I had when the idea popped into my head.  
**


End file.
